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Universities in Kenya

Strathmore University

Nairobi, Kenya
Strathmore University is a non-profit private organization which was founded in 1961 as an Advanced-Level Sixth Form College. The institution operates in Kenya, and has gradually developed since it first opened doors. A major point of its development was the merger with Kianda College, when they moved to Ole Sangale Road, Madaraka Estate, and in 2002, when they became a university with two faculties – a Faculty of Commerce and a Faculty of Information Technology. As far as accreditation is concerned, Strathmore University is the first institution in Kenya to receive the ISO 9001:2000... See full description.

Universities in Kenya by City:

Nairobi

About universities in Kenya

Kenya, officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a large equatorial country in East Africa, with a total geographic area of roughly 224,000 and a population of approximately 41 million, making it the 47th largest country in the world by area and 31st largest by population. Initially established as the East Africa Protectorate by the British in 1895 and later known as the Kenya Colony from 1920, the independent Republic of Kenya was founded in December of 1963.  Today the country is divided into 47 counties that are now semi-autonomous and will be governed by elected governors by August of 2012.  The capital and largest city in Kenya is Nairobi, which also serves as the cultural, economic and educational center of the country.
 
Higher Education in Kenya
 
Higher education in Kenya is under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, which also oversees education at the primary and secondary levels.  Historically one of the most important sectors of the Kenyan government, education last year accounted for nearly 30 percent of total government expenditure and 6.2 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  Following independence from the British in 1963, the educational system in Kenya retained the structure of the British 7-4-2-3 model, representing seven years of primary education, four years of secondary schooling and two years of advanced secondary education to be eligible for the three-year university bachelor’s degree program.  Since the 1980s, however, the structure has shifted to the American 8-4-4 model of education, with eight years of primary schooling, four years of secondary education and a four-year bachelor’s degree program.
 
Upon independence in 1963, there was one university in Kenya serving approximately 570 students.  Since that time, however, higher education in the country has undergone considerable expansion.  According to Kenyan government statistics, Kenya now has seven traditional public universities and twelve newly-established university colleges in various regions of the country.  There are also 22 private universities with varying levels of accreditation.  In total there are now nearly 123,000 Kenyan students enrolled in higher education, of which 80 percent are enrolled in public universities.  Students in Kenyan universities can earn undergraduate (Bachelor), graduate (Master’s) and post-graduate (PhD) degrees in a wide variety of academic and professional fields.  Several universities also offer specialty degrees in advanced fields such as medicine, law, veterinary medicine and pharmacy.
 
In addition to the universities in Kenya, there are also several middle-level colleges that offer diplomas and certification in certain fields such as Engineering, Education, Business Education, Accounting, Secretarial Studies, Nursing, Teacher Training, Computer Studies, Journalism, Media, Design, Culinary Studies, Foreign Languages, Tourism and Technical Skills.  Due to their high performance, some of these middle-level colleges were recently elevated in status and are now university colleges.
 
To be eligible to attend school at the college or university level in Kenya, students must possess a secondary school diploma from an accredited institution.  Several universities also require students to take an entrance exam prior to admission.