Mount Kenya University, Rwanda Campus is set to be granted a charter by the government of Rwanda to operate as a fully-fledged national private tertiary institution.
According to a letter by the Executive Secretary of High Education Council, the institute will after acquiring the charter, be rebranded to Mount Kenya International University of Technology.
The move which makes it autonomous from the parent campus in Kenya is a blessing to students who have, for years, been obliged to travel all the way to Thika in Kenya for graduation ceremonies.
The implication is that students will now be conferred upon their degrees from Rwanda.
"Reference is made to the assessment that was conducted by a team constituted by the Higher Education Council (HEC) to assess the readiness of MKU, Kigali to change its status to the proposed Mount Kenya International University of Technology... I am therefore pleased to recommend the approval of the change of status," Dr Emmanuel Muvunyi, the Executive Director of the Higher Education Council notes in a letter.
Muvunyi further advised the MKU Rwanda Vice Chancellor Edwin Odhuno to make necessary adjustment to fast track the transition.
"MKU, Kigali is requested to submit to the HEC a plan indicating how these recommendations will be implemented,” he said.
The proprietor of the institution, Simon Gicharu explained that the move had been necessitated by the need to overcome cross border challenges in running the institution.
"With the growing number of students - now at over 2,000 – we thought it would be wise to make MKU Rwanda autonomous to serve them better. And the government of Rwanda continues to be very supportive. We thank them for this," he said.
Initially operating three other campuses, the MKU management consolidated them into an ultramodern facility built in Kagarama, Kicukiro District to offer postgraduate, bachelor’s degree, diploma and certificate courses.
English broadcasting radio
Meanwhile, on Friday last week, Patrick Nyirishema, the Director General of the Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority presided over the re-launch of Royal FM, English broadcasting radio station in Kigali that was also attended by Kenyan High Commissioner John Mwangemi.
It is actually Nyirishema who first broke the news that MKU Rwanda had been granted a full license as a private university operating in Rwanda.
"Today and before coming here, a decision was taken granting MKU a national private University in Rwanda," said Nyirishema, also lauding the opening of the station saying it would go a long way in training the youth in the latest broadcasting technology.
New Royal FM studios.
Royal FM, a commercial station is being operated by the MKU's school of Communication and Mass Media.
At the event, state-of-the-art Royal FM studios in a new media complex worth $400,000 was inaugurated, which officials say will help train the best in the field and position the institution’s school of journalism as a centre of excellence in media studies.
The complex’s production studio is fully equipped for services such as radio spot production, drama production, and all sort of audio advertising solutions.
Alongside the radio, the facility will host the Royal Integrated Corporate Communications Services arm (RICCS), an office that will major in comprehensive brand corporate communications and public relations.