Kenyatta University (KU)
A leading public university in Kahawa, Kenya, known for education, business, health sciences, and digital learning.
- County
- Nairobi
- Established
- 1965
- Students
- 70,000
- Employment rate
- 75%
The institution
Who they are, how big, and how they rank.
About
Founded in 1965 as Kenyatta College, a secondary-level teacher training institution, Kenyatta University (KU) was chartered in 1985 as a full public university. Located in Kahawa, along the Thika Superhighway in Kiambu County, KU serves over 70,000 students across multiple campuses.
The university operates nine schools including Education, Business Economics and Tourism, Engineering and Architecture, Health Sciences, Law Arts and Social Sciences, Pure and Applied Sciences, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and the Digital School of Virtual and Open Learning. Campuses include Ruiru, Parklands, Kitui, Mombasa, City Centre, Nyeri, and Nakuru.
Accredited by CUE, KU ranks 4th nationally. Its Digital School of Virtual and Open Learning is a pioneer in online education in Kenya, and the university's Nokia-Microsoft Mobile Laboratory supports ICT innovation and training.
The numbers
- Annual fees
- Ksh 16,000 to Ksh 130,000
- Student to staff
- 1:20
- Mode of study
- Full-time, Part-time, Distance Learning
- Charter status
- Chartered
- Chartered
- 1985
- Scholarships
- Offered
Research
Ku maintains a prolific research agenda with over 120 publications and 110,000 patents and copyrights, ranking 2nd in kenya for agricultural and biological sciences and 2nd for medicine nationally. the division of research, innovation and outreach manages ksh.140m in grants, supporting strengths in education, health sciences, gis technology, and social sciences. ku's collaboration with the kenya national innovation agency (kenia) on the research 2 commercialisation (r2c) project, supported by the european union, is developing national guidelines for translating university research into market ready innovations. partnerships with erasmus+ (eu), daad (germany), and leuphana university (germany) enhance faculty development and joint research, while the united nations academic impact (unai) sdg hub designation recognises ku's contribution to sustainable development goals. the university's 50+ start ups and innovation ecosystem position it as a leader in research commercialisation across east africa.
Accredited by
- Commission for University Education (CUE)
- Engineering Board of Kenya (EBK)
- Council of Legal Education (CLE)
- Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (MPDC)
What they teach
Faculties, departments and the programmes on offer.
Admission requirements
A C+ mean grade is the minimum for a Bachelor's degree; competitive programmes (medicine, engineering, law, nursing, architecture) require higher grades and specific KCSE subject clusters. Master's programmes require a relevant Bachelor's degree; PhD programmes a relevant Master's degree.
Intakes
- January
- May
- September
Schools and faculties
9 in totalSchool of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
Main Campus, Kahawa
School of Business, Economics and Tourism
Main Campus, Kahawa
School of Education
Main Campus, Kahawa
School of Engineering and Architecture
Main Campus, Kahawa
School of Health Sciences
Main Campus, Kahawa
School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences
Main Campus, Kahawa
School of Pure and Applied Sciences
Main Campus, Kahawa
Graduate School
Main Campus, Kahawa
Digital School of Virtual and Open Learning
Main Campus, Kahawa
Campus and beyond
Where you would be, and who they are connected to.
Campuses
- Main campus
- Main Campus
Main Campus (Kahawa)
Nairobi
Kahawa, along Nairobi-Thika Road, 17.5 km from Nairobi CBD
Ruiru Campus
Kiambu
Ruiru, along Thika Road
Parklands Campus
Nairobi
Parklands, Nairobi
Kitui Campus
Kitui
Kwa Vonza, Kitui
Mombasa Campus
Mombasa
Mombasa, Nkrumah Road
City Centre Campus
Nairobi
Nairobi CBD
Nyeri Campus
Nyeri
Nyeri Town
Nakuru Campus
Nakuru
Nakuru, Kenyatta Avenue
Kericho Campus
Kericho
Kericho (closed)
Dadaab Campus
Garissa
Dadaab, Garissa
Embu Campus
Embu
Embu Town
On campus
- Main Library
- Sports Complex
- Medical Centre
- Student Hostels
- Research Facilities
- Conference Centre
Notable alumni
- Uhuru Kenyatta (Former President of Kenya)
- Raila Odinga (Former Prime Minister)
International partnerships
7 institutions- Erasmus+ Programme (EU)
- University of Tartu, Parnu College (Estonia)
- DAAD (Germany)
- African Union Commission
- United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) SDG Hub
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology (South Africa)
- Leuphana University (Germany)
Further reading
Entry marks, intakes and fees at Kenyatta University are restated each year. Save it and the app keeps this version, so you can see what changed when it does.