President William Ruto Wednesday, August 3, awarded a charter to the Open University of Kenya (OUK).
During the event at Konza Technopolis, Machakos County Ruto oversaw the start OUK which will be the first ever virtual public university in Kenya.
While speaking during the launch, the Head of State noted that the University will provide learning opportunities to ordinary Kenyans including ‘mama mboga’, matatu operators and farmers, among others.
According to the president, this move will expand access to higher learning opportunities and make it affordable to ordinary Kenyans.
In his citation, the president stated that he is satisfied that the award of charter to OUK will be of benefit to the advancement of university education in Kenya.
“I William Samoei Ruto, President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, hereby award the charter to OUK on this 3rd day of August and wish the university great success,” said Ruto.
The Chairman for Commission of University Education (CUE) acknowledged that objects of OUK are consistent with the requirements of the commission.
CUE Chairman Prof. Chacha Nyaigotti stated that the OUK mode delivery will reshape the landscape of university due to its digital mode of delivery.
Further, he said OUK will provide learners with an alternative to the regular learning offered in conventional universities.
“It will afford learners opportunities to pursue their education while committing to their work and family,” said Chacha.
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Location of OUK
Ouk is domiciled at the Konza Technopolis, Machakos County.
OUK is established under Section 24 (1) of the Universities Act and sponsored by the Government of Kenya.
Further, OUK will apply modern technology to deliver its programmes.
The university will apply virtual or online learning to encourage flexibility and inclusivity.
Open University of Kenya Admission
OUK will admit the first cohort of students to its online learning in September 2023.
Moreover, the management will use different criteria in the admission of students, including academic qualifications and prior learning.
This will allow OUK to reach out to a wide range of learners including those who dropped out of university.
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List of Courses Offered
In the September intake, OUK will start by offering eight programmes; six bachelor’s programmes and two postgraduate programmes.
The degree programmes include:
- Bachelor of Cyber Security and Digital Forensics
- Bachelor of Data Science
- Bachelor of Technology Education
- Bachelor of Science in Business and Entrepreneurship
- Bachelor of Economics and Statistics
- Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Food Systems.
The two postgraduate programmes are in Leadership and Accountability and Learning Design and Technology.
Cost of Learning
According to communication by the Ministry of Education, the OUK is expected to offer its programmes at lower costs compared to the conventional universities.
The president stated that learning at the Open University of Kenya will cost a quarter of the fees paid by students in other universities.
OUK is expected to charge between Ksh10,400 and Ksh10,900 per module, depending on the course.
OUK Self-Paced Learning
What’s more, the Open University of Kenya will move away from the current semester and trimester system offered by universities.
The university will provide a self-paced learning system where students will learn at their own pace or speed.
This is meant to allow students to learn in their own time and in accordance with their financial abilities.
Administration Composition
During the charter award Equity CEO James Mwangi was named as OUK’S Chancellor while Prof Ezra Maritim will be the Council Chair.
