University of Nairobi

The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970. During that year, the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: the Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and the University of Nairobi in Kenya. During the 2023 academic year, the university had 49,047 students, of whom 35,897 were undergraduates and 11,003 were postgraduates. The university launched several policy frameworks and introduced self-funded enrollment (also called 'module 2') to cope with the rising demand for higher education in Kenya. Establishment The inception of the University of Nairobi dates back to 1956, with the establishment of the Royal Technical College, which admitted its first group of A-level graduates for technical courses in April the same year. The Royal Technical College was transformed into the second university college in East Africa on 25 June 1961 by the Scottish mathematician Professor James Morton Hyslop, formerly of the University of Witwatersrand under the name Royal College of Nairobi. It joined the University of London's 'schemes of special relations' and began preparing students in the faculties of Arts, Science and Engineering for University of London award degrees. Meanwhile, students in other faculties such as the Faculty of Special Professional Studies (later renamed Faculty of Commerce) and Faculty of Architecture continued to offer diplomas for qualifications of professional bodies/institutions. On 20 May 1964, the Royal College of Nairobi was renamed University College Nairobi as a constituent college of the Federal University of East Africa. During this time, enrolled students studied for college degrees awarded by the University of East Africa instead of the University of London. In 1970, it transformed into the first national university in Kenya and was renamed the University of Nairobi. The university tops in Kenya's university ranking. It is ranked 7th in Africa and 1698 in the world according to Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.