Maseno University

Maseno University is a public university in Kenya. It is situated right on the Equator on the Kisumu – Busia Highway 25 Km. from Kisumu City, Kisumu County. The name Maseno was coined from the name of an indigenous tree known as Oseno or Oluseno (Carya ovalis) by the indigenous communities. Maseno is an area that has been associated with education, training and intellectual pursuits since 1900s. Started in 1990 as a University College it became a fully fledged University in 2001.

The University is situated in a lush, green and serene environment conducive for academic study, thought and social engagement. It has developed into a first-choice institution for students joining and undergraduate and post-graduate studies. The student population has risen rapidly and is now at 27,000 and growing. These are spread in all the Campuses – Main Campus at Maseno, Kisumu Campus in the Central Business District at  Kisumu City, Odera Akang’o Campus at Yala and the eCampus that caters for students who choose study on-line without having to be physically present so that they can continue to work, pursue business and keep busy even as they take courses. 

ACADEMICS

Academic Programmes for Undergraduate and Postgraduate studies are grouped into Schools and Departments. The new Schools that were recently established are those of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and the newest is the School of Law.  The Third Joint East Africa Inspection of New and Existing Medical and Dental Schools declared Maseno University’s School of Medicine the best School of Medicine among the Schools of Medicine in public universities of Kenya. In total the University 14 Schools. 

RESEARCH

Research is part of the core mandate of the University and Maseno has a national and worldwide research collaboration profile involving faculty in all the Schools. Impactful research is therefore going on in all the disciplines by the teaching staff and students especially at Postgraduate levels.

The University offers undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in different disciplines at the following faculties and schools:

School of Arts and Social Sciences
School of Education
School of Physical and Biological Science
School of Public Health and Community Development
School of Nursing
School of Development and Strategic Studies
School of Business and Economics
School of Medicine
School of Law
School of Pharmacy
School of Agriculture, Food Security and Environmental Sciences
School of Mathematics and Actuarial Science
School of Computing and Informatics
School of Planning & Architecture

Maseno is a Public University, established by an Act of Parliament in 1991. In 2000 it was elevated to a fully fledged University. The current Vice-Chancellor of the University is Professor Julius Omondi Nyabundi.

Alongside its academic programmes the University also manages enterprises such as the Kisumu Hotel and the University farm where it produces agricultural products which are used within the university and the surplus supplied to markets around.

Maseno University is a modern institution of higher learning set up to advance teaching, learning, research and development that responds to the emerging socio-economic as well as technological and innovation needs of Kenya and the Eastern African Region. According to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Julius Omondi Nyabundi, Maseno University has embarked on a mission to develop and deliver academic programmes that not only respond to the needs of industry but also prepare workers for the knowledge economy, in line with the Vision 2030. The programmes offered by Maseno University (referred to as ‘With IT’ programmes) ensure that all graduates of Maseno are adequately exposed to a knowledge-base that enables them to live, learn and work in a multi-disciplinary setting where ICT is as much a resource for learning and working, as it is a discipline in its own right.

Currently, Maseno University has a total student enrolments of 21,000 registered at the Main Campus and the Kisumu Campus. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, Prof. Erick Otieno Nyambedha, indicates that this number is expected to grow significantly with the launch and expansion of the eCampus of Maseno University that offers academic programmes through the Internet and other modern technologies to all who qualify, regardless of their physical location. Maseno University is therefore on track in globalising University education and providing high-quality lifelong learning opportunities, a deviation from the tradition of delimiting admission to physical availability of beds and tuition space at the University.