President William Ruto has granted university charters to key research institutions, allowing them to now offer degree programmes.
Speaking at the State House in Nairobi, the Head of State granted charters to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), elevating both institutions to full university status.
According to Ruto, the two institutions will help Kenya in health management and technological advancement.
“Our gathering here is about far more than the awarding of charters to two institutions. We are laying two strategic pillars upon which Kenya’s future, prosperity, resilience, and global competitiveness will stand. One institution will help protect the health and survival of our people. The other will help drive the technological and industrial transformation of our economy. One will help Kenya fight disease. The other will help Kenya compete in the industries of the future,” said Ruto.
National Assembly Approves KEMRI and KAIST Accreditation
Awarding of charters to KEMRI and KAIST follows approval by the National Assembly to offer specialized degrees.
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National Assembly Health Committee Chairperson and Seme MP, James Nyikal, argued that KEMRI was already operating at an advanced level but lacked the legal mandate to award degrees to the health researchers.
“The training has been conducted at KEMRI, but they cannot award degrees; they have to look for other universities,” said Nyikal.
The awarding of the charters now transforms KEMRI and KAIST from specialized research institutions into fully accredited universities.
This change gives them the legal authority to design academic programmes, admit students, supervise postgraduate training, and confer degrees independently.
Ruto Highlights Decades of Global Research Impact
President Ruto emphasized the contribution of KEMRI researchers in areas such as malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, maternal health, and epidemic response.
He noted that these institutions have contributed to the development and evaluation of the malaria vaccine now protecting children in high-burden regions.
Ruto also stated that Kenya is building advanced expertise in genomics, epidemiology, and public health, enabling scientists to better anticipate and prevent disease outbreaks rather than simply respond to them.
“For decades, Cambridge researchers have equally contributed globally recognized work in malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, maternal health, and epidemic response. This institution has also played an important role in the development and evaluation of the malaria vaccine, now protecting children across high-burden regions. This is the impact we are determined to accelerate and scale up by making KEMRI a specialized degree-awarding institution. We are also building the capacity to train world-class biomedical scientists and epidemiologists. I remember one of my classmates became a very central figure on epidemiology research at Cambridge,” added Ruto.
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Kenya Medical Research Institute Courses
| Category | Programmes Offered at KEMRI Graduate School |
|---|---|
| Public Health (MSc) | MSc Public Health, MSc Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MSc Global Health |
| Biomedical Sciences (MSc) | MSc Medical Microbiology, MSc Medical Virology, MSc Medical Mycology, MSc Medical Parasitology and Entomology, MSc Molecular Medicine |
| Pharmacy & Chemistry (MSc) | MSc Medicinal Chemistry, MSc Medicinal Phytochemistry |
| PhD Programmes | PhD Public Health, PhD Epidemiology and Biostatistics, PhD Global Health, PhD Molecular Medicine, PhD Medical Virology, PhD Medical Microbiology, PhD Medical Mycology, PhD Medical Parasitology and Entomology, PhD Medicinal Chemistry, PhD Medicinal Phytochemistry |
| Short Professional Courses | Research methodology, data analysis and statistics, systematic review and meta-analysis, grant writing, health and science communication, epidemiology and outbreak investigation, laboratory biosafety and diagnostics, research leadership and management |
Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Courses
| Category | Programmes Offered at KAIST |
|---|---|
| Engineering | Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering |
| Computer & Information Sciences | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Software Engineering, Cybersecurity, Information Systems |
| Applied Sciences | Applied Physics, Applied Mathematics, Materials Science, Environmental Science |
| Industrial & Manufacturing Systems | Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Systems, Automation, Robotics, Smart Manufacturing |
| Emerging Technologies | Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Renewable Energy Systems, Advanced Materials Technology |
| Postgraduate & Research Training | MSc programmes, PhD programmes, and applied research in science, engineering, and technology fields |
