President Uhuru Kenyatta to elevate seven learning institutions to universities

President Uhuru Kenyatta

Seven university colleges will be elevated to full-fledged universities.

Machakos University College will be the first to get a university status next week, as President Uhuru Kenyatta launches the second round of institutions' upgrade.

The Co-operative University College of Kenya, Murang'a University College, Rongo University College, Taita Taveta University College will also receive charters.

Others are Kenya Assemblies of God's East Africa School of Theology and Embu University College.

Sources at the Ministry of Education confirmed that the awarding of charters will be based on a schedule to be released soon.

The elevation will bring the number of chartered universities – public and private – to 47. Kenya has 70 accredited universities.

The elevation will increase access to university education in the country. Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has frozen expansion of university campuses saying the existing ones were not fully utilised.

He said the expansion of campuses has compromised the quality of education and noted that it also pushed public institutions to incur unnecessary debts.

He cited staffing, funding and enrollment as some of the challenges that must be addressed before universities can expand their campuses.