By GASTONE VALUSI
A new chapter has been written in Kenya’s higher education landscape following the award of a charter to the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kenya-AIST), the country’s first institution dedicated to postgraduate studies and advanced research programmes.
The institution’s council chairman, Emmanuel Mutisya, on Thursday confirmed that the first cohort of about 110 students will be admitted in the coming months to pursue master’s programmes in various science and technology fields under full government sponsorship.
Addressing the press at the university’s headquarters in Konza Technopolis during celebrations following the award of the charter by William Ruto, Prof. Mutisya said Kenya-AIST will initially target a select number of top-performing students from universities in Kenya and abroad who will undertake fully sponsored courses.
“We will be offering master’s 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 to ensure students dedicate their time to studies and research aimed at developing innovations that can be commercialised to drive Kenya’s industrial development,” he said.
He said the award of the charter marked a significant milestone that will pave the way for the recruitment of outstanding professors and top students to kick-start operations at the pioneer campus.
Prof. Mutisya added that Kenya-AIST will collaborate closely with local and international partners, including industries and universities in countries such as South Korea, China and Sweden.
“Our plan is to help fuel Kenya’s journey towards becoming a first-world country. We have engaged President Ruto and received assurance that the institution will equip young men and women with the skills Kenya needs to grow and compete globally,” he said.
Courses to be offered include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and nuclear engineering. Other programmes will cover chemical engineering, agricultural biotechnology engineering, cybersecurity, robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Prof. Mutisya said the country will be able to harness technologies developed through the institution to accelerate industrial growth and propel Kenya to the next level.
Established in 2022 under Legal Notice No. 130 as a constituent college of Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology, Kenya-AIST is modelled after Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), one of Asia’s leading science and technology universities.
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