| Mount Kenya University | |
| Motto: | Unlocking Infinite Possibilities |
| Type: | Private university |
| Vice Chancellor: | Deogratius Jaganyi |
| Students: | 52,000+ (2015)[1] |
| Faculty: | 5,000+ |
| City: | Thika |
| Country: | Kenya |
| Other Name: | MKU |
| Colours: | Light blue, light orange, and cream |
| Free Label: | Publications |
| Academic Affiliations: | IUCEA, ACU, UC-USA, NKU-USA |
| Pushpin Map: | Kenya |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the university in Kenya |
Mount Kenya University (MKU) is a private, multi-campus university in the municipal town of Thika, Kenya. It was established by Prof. Simon N. Gicharu and has become one of the most significant private universities in Kenya.[2] MKU has a student population of 52,000 as of September 2015.[3] MKU is chartered and certified.[4] [5]
The main campus of MKU is located in Thika, approximately 47km (29miles) by road northeast of Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya.[6] The coordinates of the university's main campus are 1°02'44.0"S, 37°04'54.0"E (-1.045559 37.081669).
The university's currently maintains 14 campuses and centre's as of July,2024.[7]
The institution was originally known as the Thika Institute of Technology, established in 1996 by Dr. Simon Gicharu. Initially, the institute provided programs focused on management and computer training. In the same year, Kenya's Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology approved the institute as a fully-fledged institution of higher learning.
In 2005, the institute became the first privately-owned institution in Kenya to receive authorization to train pharmaceutical technologists from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of the Kenya Ministry of Health.[8] In 2006 the Commission for Higher Education (CHE), which later changed to Commission for University Education Kenya[9] (CUE), approved the institute's request for collaboration with JKUAT to offer both diploma and degree programs. After fulfilling all the requirements, the Commission for Higher Education authorized MKU to establish a full-fledged privately funded university.[10] In 2011, the university was awarded a charter by the government of Kenya upon the recommendation of the Commission of Higher Education.[9] [11]
In 2023, its former campus in Kigali, Rwanda, became an autonomous university known as Mount Kigali University.[12]
The university is organized into three colleges, 12 schools, and three institutes:[13]