Related documents
- Is amended by 24th Annual Supplement

LAWS OF KENYA
UNIVERSITIES ACT
THE UNIVERSITIES REGULATIONS
LEGAL NOTICE 76 OF 2014
- Published in Kenya Gazette Vol. CXVI—No. 71 on 13 June 2014
- Commenced on 12 June 2014
- [Revised by 24th Annual Supplement (Legal Notice 221 of 2023) on 31 December 2022]
Part I – PRELIMINARY
1. Citation
These Regulations may be cited as the Universities Regulations.2. Interpretation
In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—“academic programme” means the design of learning content, which is multi-dimensional and includes intentions, structure of content, delivery modes, academic resources and assessment modes;“academic recognition” refers to the recognition of qualifications awarded by a foreign university;“academic staff” means any person who has been appointed to teach, train or to do research at a university;“academic year” means a period of teaching and examination organised in a full year in either two, three or four segments;“access” means the right of qualified candidates to apply and to be considered for admission to a university;“accreditation” means the procedure by which the Commission formally recognizes an institution or an academic programme of a university;“Act” refers to the Universities Act (Cap. 210);“admission” means the act of, or system for, allowing qualified applicants to pursue studies in university education at a given institution or in a given programme;“Cabinet Secretary” means the Cabinet Secretary for the time being in charge of university education;“certificates and diplomas” means post-graduate certificates and diplomas;“certified translation” means an official document constituting the verbatim translation, by a legally certified translator, from a foreign language into English;“collaboration” means an arrangement between a foreign university and a Kenyan university or a tertiary institution for purposes of offering academic programmes;“Commission” means the Commission for University Education established under section 4 of the Universities Act (Cap. 210);“course” means a single unit in a programme of study;“curriculum” means any documented programme of study;“department” means an academic division into which a faculty is divided for purposes of teaching, examinations and administration;“duration of study” refers to the recognized period of study that must be completed from admission to graduation of an academic programme;“faculty/school” means an academic division so designated or established under the instruments constituting a university;“foreign university” means a university established outside Kenya;“institution” means an organization founded for purposes of university education and research;“private university” means a university which is established or maintained out of funds other than public funds;“professional recognition” refers to recognition of a professional training by law;“programme of study” means the prescribed syllabus that students must be taught at each key stage;“public university” means a university established and maintained or assisted out of public funds;“qualification” means any degree, diploma or certificate issued as evidence of successful completion of a university education programme;“recognition” means the formal acknowledgement by the Commission in a particular country of the appropriateness of a foreign qualification for access to related educational and/or employment opportunities in the receiving country;“standard” is a reference point against which different aspects of the institution and programme are compared or evaluated for quality.3. Scope
Part II – ESTABLISHMENT OF A UNIVERSITY
4. Eligibility and application procedure
5. Proposal as to particulars and resources
6. Issuance of Letter of Interim Authority
7. Revocation of a Letter of Interim Authority
8. Inspection of universities
9. Application for award of charter
10. Accreditation process for Grant of Charter
11. Accreditation Report
Where the Commission has made a recommendation for Charter with respect to an institution, it shall compile an accreditation report on the said institution outlining—12. Grant of charter
13. Variation or Revocation of Charter
14. Change of name of a university
Proposals for the change of the name of a university shall be forwarded to the Commission for consideration and approval.15. Change of sponsorship of a private university
16. Accreditation of foreign universities
17. Institutional Quality Audits
18. Impromptu Audits
Notwithstanding the generality of Regulation 17 the Commission may carry out an audit on any institution as and when it is deemed necessary.Part III – ESTABLISHMENT OF A TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
19. Eligibility
A national polytechnic may apply, on the recommendation of the sponsor, to the Commission to be declared a Technical University.20. Conditions for declaration
An institution shall qualify to be declared a technical university if it satisfies the following criteria—21. Procedure for declaration
22. Inspection of proposed technical University
23. Consideration of evaluation report
24. Declaration of a Technical University
25. Supervision of Technical Universities
The Commission shall supervise Technical Universities in accordance with the supervision procedures outlined in the Act and of these Regulations.26. Rights of a Technical University
Any institution declared a Technical University shall have the following rights—27. Variation or revocation of Charter of a Technical University
A Charter issued as evidence of accreditation to any technical university may be varied or revoked in the manner specified in section 22 of the Act.Part IV – ESTABLISHMENT OF A SPECIALIZED DEGREE AWARDING INSTITUTION
28. General provision
Unless otherwise provided, these Regulations shall apply to specialized degree-awarding institutions as they apply to universities.29. Application
30. Criteria for declaration
An institution shall be eligible to be declared a specialized degree awarding institution if the institution—31. Accreditation process
The provisions of Regulation 8 on the inspection of a university shall apply mutatis mutandis to a specialized degree awarding institution.32. Consideration of report
33. Declaration of a specialized Degree-awarding Institution
34. Supervision
The Commission shall supervise Specialized Degree Awarding Institution in accordance with the supervision procedures outlined in Regulation 17.35. Rights of a Specialized Degree Awarding Institution
Any institution declared a Specialized Degree Awarding Institution shall have—36. Obligations of a Specialized Degree Awarding Institution
The provision of section 20 of the Act shall apply mutatis mutandis to a Specialized Degree Awarding Institution as they apply to a regular university under that Regulation.37. Variation or revocation of Charter of a Specialized Degree Awarding Institution
A Charter issued as evidence of accreditation to a specialized degree-awarding institution may be varied or revoked in the manner specified in section 22 of the Act.Part V – ESTABLISHMENT OF A CONSTITUENT COLLEGE
38. Eligibility
A chartered university which is authorized to operate in Kenya may apply to the Commission for authority to establish a constituent college pursuant to the Act.39. Proposal as to particulars
The application in Regulation 38 shall be accompanied with—40. Declaration of a constituent college
The Commission shall evaluate an application to establish a constituent college in accordance with the procedures set out in Regulations 5(1) to (3).41. Consideration by the Commission
42. Operation and tenure
Part VI – ESTABLISHMENT OF CAMPUSES
43. Eligibility
Any chartered university authorized to operate in Kenya may apply to the Commission for authority to establish a campus.44. Proposal as to particulars and resources
An application under this Part shall be accompanied by—45. Authority to operate a campus
46. Operation and tenure
A university campus shall—47. Open and Distance Learning Centres
Part VII – ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES
48. Launch of Academic Programmes
49. Conditions for approval of a professional programme
The Commission shall only approve a professional programme when it confirms that—50. Submission of Academic Programmes by Universities
51. Evaluation of Academic Programmes
52. Quality Assurance Systems for Academic Programmes
Part VIII – FOREIGN UNIVERSITY COLLABORATING WITH A LOCAL UNIVERSITY
53. Application
54. Local Collaborating University
The local university shall provide the requisite academic resources to support the programme and where applicable, evidence of approval by the relevant professional body.55. Foreign Collaborating University
A foreign university shall be eligible to collaborate with a local university if such university—56. Programmes under Collaboration
The programmes offered under the collaboration shall be required to be—57. Collaboration Agreement
58. Students under Collaboration
The admission of students into programmes offered under collaboration shall be governed by the existing admission criteria in the local university.59. Collaboration Audit Committee
Upon receipt of the application referred to in Regulation 53 before, the Commission shall appoint a Collaboration Audit Committee which shall have powers to—60. Approval of Collaboration
61. Revocation of Collaboration
The Commission may, on application of any of the collaborating partners or on its own motion, revoke its approval before the expiry of the term of the collaboration if—62. Notice to revoke authority to Collaborate
Part IX – COLLABORATION BETWEEN FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES AND LOCAL TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
63. Conditions for Collaboration
64. Application procedure
65. Collaboration Review Panel
66. Grant of Authority to Collaborate
The Commission, upon confirmation that all the requirements have been met may grant its authority to collaborate in the form set out in the prescribed format upon such terms and conditions as it may deem fit.67. Publication of Grant of authority
The Commission shall publish the grant of authority under regulation 66 in at least three newspapers as prescribed in section 28(4) of the Act.68. Register of institutions
The Commission shall maintain a register of the institutions granted authority to collaborate with other institutions.69. Revocation of Collaboration
The Commission may, on application of any of the collaborating partners or on its own motion revoke the grant of authority before the expiry of the term of the collaboration if—70. Notice to Revoke Authority to Collaborate
Part X – LICENSING OF STUDENT RECRUITMENT AGENCIES AND ACTIVITIES OF FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES
71. Application
72. Conditions for operating a Student Recruitment Agency
An agency shall be eligible to be licensed to operate in Kenya if such body—73. Licence
74. Effects of license
An agency to which a licence is issued may—75. Obligations of an agency
An agency licensed to operate under these regulations shall be obligated to—76. Register
The Commission shall maintain in its website a register of all agencies licensed under this Part.77. Monitoring of agencies
The Commission may inspect an agency as and when it deems necessary.Part XI – RECOGNITION AND EQUATION OF QUALIFICATIONS AWARDED BY FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES AND INSTITUTIONS
78. Scope of the Service
79. Principles of recognition and equation
The following principles shall apply in respect of the assessment of foreign qualifications under this Part—80. Evaluation of Foreign Qualifications
81. Criteria for recognition and equation of qualifications
The criteria for recognition and equation of qualifications shall be the same as the standards established by the Commission.82. University data
Part XII – GENERAL PROVISIONS
83. Fees
The fees chargeable for services rendered under these regulations shall be determined and gazetted by the Commission from time to time.84. Penalties
85. Appeals
Any person or institution who or which is aggrieved by an act or decision of the Commission taken in accordance with any of the provisions of these Regulations, whodesires to question that act or decision, or any part of it, may, within thirty days of the date of such act or decision, appeal in writing to—86. Transitional arrangements
87. Preparation of Standards
88. Declaration of Standards
History of this document
02 May 2023
Repealed by
Universities Regulations, 2023
31 December 2022 this version
Revised by
24th Annual Supplement
13 June 2014
12 June 2014
Commenced