Karatina University has highest percentage of lecturers with PhDs

Professor Mucai Muchiri served in Moi University for 18 years in various capacities before he came to Karatina University in 2007 as a Vice chancellor in what was originally the Mount Kenya Campus of Moi University. He was tasked with transforming the institution from a Kenya Tea Development Agency Training facility into what it is today. Prof Muchiri has a Doctorate of Philosophy from Leiceister University in the United Kingdom.

What has been your experience in establishing an institution from the ground up?
When I was sent here I knew immediately it would be an uphill task because was the institution had no students, staff or academic programs on which to build on. I had to be resilient in overcoming the challenges I faced, the location of the institution was the first concern. Karatina University was so far from the Moi University and getting things done required extra effort and patience.
I had to, for Instance, rely on lectures traveling all the way from Eldoret to come teach here before we could employ our own staff. Fortunately we had the backing of Moi University because in 2010 it became Karatina University College, a constituent college of Moi University. Finally, in 2013, Karatina University was awarded a charter and our own statutes allowing us to become autonomous in terms of management and administration.