The Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK)

Established in 1947 as the East Africa School of Co-operation, the Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK) was chartered in 2016 as a full public university. Located in Karen, Nairobi, the university serves over 8,000 students across its Main Campus and satellite centres in Mombasa, Kisumu, and Kitale.

The university operates schools of Business, Co-operative and Community Development, Computing and Information Technology, Education, and Graduate Studies. Its co-operative management and microfinance programmes are unique in Kenya, serving the country's large co-operative movement.

Accredited by CUE, CUK ranks 33rd nationally. Its specialised focus on co-operative business, microfinance, and community development makes it the only university in Kenya dedicated to training professionals for the co-operative sector.

CUK focuses on research in cooperative governance, sustainable enterprise, and financial inclusion, publishing in journals such as the Journal of Co-operative Studies. The School of Co-operatives and Community Development conducts research on co-operative governance, SACCO management, and community-based enterprise models that directly inform Kenya's co-operative sector policy. The School of Business and Economics investigates microfinance, value chain financing, and entrepreneurial development within the co-operative framework. Partnerships with the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) support collaborative research on co-operative business models and decent work. Collaboration with the Co-operative College of Manchester (UK) enables faculty exchange and benchmarking of co-operative education standards. The university engages extensively with county governments to train and capacitate devolved co-operative structures. Research output increasingly informs national co-operative policy, SACCO regulation, and financial inclusion strategies, bridging academic scholarship with the practical needs of Kenya's co-operative movement.

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.