Will Kenyatta topple UoN as Kenya’s most prestigious university?

By NYAMBEGA GISESA

Right at the gate of Kenyatta University (KU)’s main campus is the sparkling new multi-million shilling Manu Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Centre.

The Manu Chandaria Innovation lab represents something profoundly new for the university – an effort to transform its students from job seekers to job creators.

The goal is to convert university students — widely regarded as being half-baked — into learned graduates who can transform their ideas into lucrative businesses.

Today, innovation and entrepreneurship are the norm across universities. KU has been touting innovation as a revolutionary development and one of the transformative ideas that has set the university apart from the rest.

Its rise has been a source of debate in education circles.

Setting the pace

On the other side of town, University of Nairobi (UoN), Kenya’s premier institution of higher learning, is scrambling to get into the game.

It is, however, finding itself in an uncomfortable position, not leading the charge as it would like to, but desperately trying to come up with new and fresh ideas.

In many ways, UoN boasts a very rich history. Its students even take pride in the fact that it is the only university in Kenya whose name starts with the article “the”.

UoN has 30 faculties, schools, institutions and centres, 311 programmes, 62,000 students, 1,600 academic staff, 150 international links and an alumni base that numbers over 146,000.

Out of Kenya’s 22 public universities, UoN and KU are easily ahead of the pack in terms of student population, number of programmes, academic staff, alumni and links.

For the last seven years, UoN has  been ranked the top public university in Kenya in academic excellence, online presence and student population. In fact, only the private Strathmore University has managed to topple it in some of the world’s respected rankings on institutions of higher learning.

While student number is a poor measure of rating, it does reflect the  popularity of an institution.

Despite the absence of local ranking, universities continue to pride themselves on international ratings.

“The University of Nairobi has improved its performance in the Ranking Web of Universities (Webometrics) 2013, by being ranked 12th in Africa, up from 14th last year,” UoN Vice Chancellor  Prof George Magoha wrote in the June issue of  University Focus, a UoN magazine.

“At world level, the university is now in position 1,326 up from 1,435 recorded in 2012.”

UoN may have moved a few places up, but KU recorded a significant rise. In January 2007, KU was ranked number 7,354 in the world, 82 in Africa and seventh in Kenya by  Webometrics.  In January, KU moved up to 1,706 in the world, 17 in Africa and second in Kenya in the same ranking. In Africa, there are now only five universities between KU and UoN.

KU is ranked second after UoN in the International Colleges And Universities (UCU) ranking of the top 100 universities and colleges in Africa.

Transforming colleges

UoN has always been the most respected university in Kenya, breeding new ideas every year, developing huge infrastructure and churning out distinguished alumni.

This is, however, changing fast.

Droves of energetic young risk takers and mavericks are changing the faces of various universities in the country, and transforming their campuses.

“We have the only school of water resources, science and technology in the country. We are not only leading in this field, we are the only ones offering such a course in the country,” Dr Johnson Kitheka, a senior lecturer at the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources Management at South Eastern Kenya University, said during the recent Universities Exhibition.

A few metres away is Ogeke Araka, the Corporate Communications Officer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), who described the institution as “the Pan African university,”.

But KU has more degree programmes than any other university in Kenya. The courses are spread out across its main campus along  Thika Road and its satellite campuses in Mombasa, Nakuru, Migori, Nyeri, Nairobi City, Parklands, Kericho and Kitui.

KU has 78 academic programmes compared to UoN’s 69. It will also admit the highest number of students, 10,000, in September. “The number is set to rise in two years to approximately 26,000 when the new hostels being built through a partnership with IFC will be completed,” Vice Chancellor Prof Olive Mugenda told The Standard on Sunday.

 Infrastructure boost

This year, both universities are making significant infrastructural developments.

Prof Magoha writes, “The year 2013 is one of great promise as the university embarks on an ambitious programme of improving infrastructure.”

On May 17, UoN commenced the construction of the 22-storey University of Nairobi Towers. The building will house academic and administrative services.

The last major building to be constructed at UoN’s main campus was the Multi-purpose Hall, commonly referred to as the 8.4.4. building, completed 23 years ago.

Across town, KU has constructed arguably more modern buildings than all the other public universities combined in the last seven years.

One of its magnificent constructions include the Post Modern Library, a 30,000 capacity facility equipped with the latest journals and book resources.

It also has 10 computer labs spread across its campuses, with the one at the main campus having over 600 work stations.

 Under construction is the multi-billion shilling Kenyatta University Medical School, which, upon completion, will make KU the first higher institution of learning in the region to have a teaching, research and referral hospital.

 In terms of research, UoN boasts the largest research budget - Sh3 billion. This year, two UoN members of staff are among 70 women scientists from 11 African countries chosen for the prestigious African Women in Agricultural Research and Development 2013 award.