Egerton University is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

in Kenya. It is the oldest institution of higher education in Kenya.

Location

The main campus of the university is located in Njoro, a small community approximately , southwest of the town of

Nakuru Nakuru (nicknamed Nax) is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and it is the fourth largest city in Kenya and the largest in the Rift Valley region. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban population of 570, ...

. This is located approximately , by road, northwest of

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, the capital and largest city in Kenya.

History

The school was founded in 1939, and was originally named Egerton Farm School. It was established by a large land grant of 740 acres (3 km²) by

Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton Maurice Egerton, 4th Baron Egerton (4 August 1874 – 30 January 1958) was a member of the Egerton family and was the only son of Alan Egerton, 3rd Baron Egerton, Alan de Tatton Egerton, 3rd Baron Egerton and his wife Lady Anna Louisa. Biograp ...

of Tatton. The school's original purpose was to prepare white European youth for careers in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. By 1955, the name had changed to Egerton Agricultural College. A one-year certificate course and a two-year diploma course in agriculture were offered. In 1958, Lord Egerton donated another of land. Soon afterwards, the college opened its doors to people of all races from Kenya and other African countries. In 1979, with support from the Government of Kenya and

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

, the college expanded yet again, becoming part of the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

system. In 1987, the college was recognized as a chartered public university.

University ranking

* Ranked First (1st) in Kenya on Impact Ranking by webometrics (July, 2021 Rankings)

University governance

* Office of the Chancellor * The University Council * The University Management Board (UMB) * The University Senate

Campuses

Egerton University has three campuses, one of them being a constituent college. * The main campus is based at Njoro and houses the faculties of Agriculture, Arts & Social Sciences, Education & Community Studies, Engineering & Technology, Environment & Resources Development, Science & Veterinary Medicine. * The Kenyatta Campus is located from Njoro Campus and houses the School of Open and Distance Learning (SoDL) programmes. * Nakuru Town Campus College, which is the only University’s Campus College and hosts the Faculties of Commerce, Health Sciences and Law.

Directorates and boards

Institutes of Egerton University

* The Institute of Women, Gender and Development Studies (IWGDs) * Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development * Confucius Institute

Schools

* School of Open and Distance Learning (SoDL)

Faculties of Egerton University

The University has ten (10) faculties, subdivided into fifty three (53) academic departments offering programmes at diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels: # Faculty of

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

# Faculty of Arts and

Social Sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

# Faculty of Commerce # Faculty of Education and Community Studies # Faculty of Engineering and Technology # Faculty of Environment and Resource Development # Faculty of Health Sciences # Faculty of Law # Faculty of Science # Faculty of

Veterinary Medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...

& Surgery

Academic departments

The Academic Departments responsible for teaching and learning.

Research departments

Administrative departments

Courses offered

The university offers many academic programs. Students can receive a three-year diploma, a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

, or a doctorate (PhD). In 2004, the university established a partnership with

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

that allows students to complete half of their degree at Egerton and finish their studies at WMU in a choice of

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

and

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

Flagship research projects

* Chemeron Dryland Research Training & Ecotourism Centre - DRTEC * Njoro River Rehabilitation Project * Agro-Science Park. * Transforming African Agricultural Universities to Meaningfully Contribute to Africa’s Growth and Development (TAGDev) * Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture and

Agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

Management (CESAAM) * Faculty of Law Legal Aid Project (FOLLAP) Notable alumni *

Samuel Atandi Samuel Atandi is a Kenyan politician from the Orange Democratic Movement who has been Member of the National Assembly for Alego Usonga since 2017. He was re-elected at the 2022 general election. He graduated from Egerton University with a bac ...

, member of the national assembly * Hon. Amb. Ukur Yatani Kanacho, Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury & Planning, Kenya. * Prof. John Krop Lonyangapuo, Second governor of West Pokot county * Hon. Salim Mvurya, Governor, Kwale County, Kenya. * Mr Peter Tabichi, Winner of the global prize for the world's best teacher and one of the TOP most influential Africans. * Hon. Anne Waiguru, former Cabinet Secretary and Governor of Kirinyaga County.

References

External links

* {{authority control Egerton University Nakuru Education in Nakuru County Buildings and structures in Rift Valley Province Universities and colleges established in 1939 1939 establishments in Kenya Kenya in World War II Universities in Kenya