A new history has been made in Kenya’s higher education landscape following the award of a charter to the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kenya-AIST) the first-ever institution to offer post-graduate studies and advanced research programmes in the country.
The institution’s council chairman, Emmanuel Mutisya on Thursday confirmed the first cohort of about 110 students will be admitted in coming months to pursue master’s programmes in various science and technology fields, fully sponsored by the Government.
Addressing the press at the university’s headquarters in Konza Technopolis during celebrations after the award of charter by President William Ruto, Prof Mutisya said Kenya-AIST will initially target small numbers of first-class students in various universities both locally and abroad who will undergo fully-sponsored courses.
“We will be offering Masters and PhD programmes. This university is going to target the best students from across Kenya, Africa and the world. The Government plans to offer full scholarships and the aim is to ensure the students spend their time in their studies and research to develop innovations that can be commercialised through industries to drive Kenya’s industrial development,” he said.
He said award of the charter marked a significant milestone that will pave the way for the recruitment of outstanding professors and the best students to kick-start operations at the pioneer campus.
Prof Mutisya said Kenya-AIST will work in close collaboration with partners both in Kenya and abroad, including industries and universities in countries such as South Korea, China, Sweden and other industry players across the globe.
“Our plan is to work towards fueling Kenya’s journey to a first-world country. We have had engagement with President Ruto and got the assurance that the institution will train young men and women in skills that Kenya needs to grow and compete with the best of the world,” said the professor.
Among the courses that will be offered include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil and environmental engineering and nuclear engineering. Others are chemical engineering, agricultural biotechnology engineering, cyber security, robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Prof Mutisya said the country will be able to harness the technology developed through the institution to drive Kenya’s industrial development to propel the country to the next level.
Established in 2022 under legal notice number 130 as a constituent college of Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology, Kenya-AIST is modelled after Soth Korea’s Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), one of Asia’s leading science and tech universities.
