MKU is Kenya’s top varsity in Rwanda

Mount Kenya University has been rated the best among Kenyan universities currently operating in Rwanda.

The university emerged position 11 out of 29 among universities that were ranked by Rwanda’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) with 380 marks out of 1,000.

MKU scored 88 on physical and academic infrastructure; 87 on faculty, research, consultancy and other programmes; 75 on admission, curriculum and delivery systems, while in placement, networking and Industry Interface it got 129.

“The purpose of this ranking is to make higher education provisions more transparent for stakeholders and make a good ground for competitiveness among higher education institutions,” states the report.

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) campus was placed 29 while Kenyatta University, which has a campus in Rwanda, was not ranked as it is yet to start its operations after the Kenya government disowned their operations in that country and Tanzania early this year.

JKUAT scored 171 marks out of 1,000 in a rating that saw the University of Rwanda, Kigali, emerge top with 592 marks.

MKU, which is currently putting up a fully-fledged university in Rwanda, also emerged third in terms of universities that have good infrastructure that is physical and academic.

The new campus being built at a cost of Sh500 million is set to be ready by November. The institution has about 3,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students.

The study was conducted in close collaboration with HEC and academic experts in the field of higher education in Rwanda.

“The study was conducted in order to understand the data provided by the HEIs and gain clarity with respect to relevance of parameters and sub parameters to be used as per the education scenario in Rwanda,” it explains.

The report notes that the ranking would help identify, assess and evaluate overall situation existing in the education sector in Rwanda and plan for the future keeping these insights in mind.

Methodology used for data collection included questionnaires and interviews by education experts.

The three Kenyan universities have invested heavily in Rwanda.

A report submitted mid this year to the National Assembly’s Public Investment Committee (PIC) shows that JKUAT had spent Sh450 million to set up campuses in Rwanda and Tanzania.

JKUAT vice chancellor, Mabel Imbuga, said the institution used Sh10 million as seed capital for Arusha centre and Sh21 million for Kigali campus.

Kenyatta University said it spent Sh370 million on setting up a campus in Rwanda and Sh53 million on establishing another one in Arusha.

The committee has since ordered an audit of the two universities’ operations in Rwanda and Tanzania.