President William Ruto has formally admitted Kamagambo University in Migori County into Kenya’s higher education system by awarding it a Letter of Interim Authority.
Speaking at State Lodge Kisumu on Tuesday, the President said the milestone would open new pathways for young people in Migori and across the country to pursue higher education.
He noted that the institution is now positioned to prepare teachers, entrepreneurs, professionals and leaders needed to drive national transformation.
Ruto urged the university’s management and trustees to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity, sound governance, prudent financial management and quality as they work toward a full university charter.
“We urge the university management and trustees to uphold the highest standards of academic integrity, sound governance, prudent stewardship and quality as the institution works towards attaining a full Charter,” he said.
The President linked the development to broader government reforms aimed at making tertiary education more accessible.
Policy
These reforms are contained in the Tertiary Education, Placement and Funding Bill, 2026.
If passed, the legislation would enable every qualified student to access higher education regardless of socio-economic background through changes to student placement and financing across universities, technical colleges and the Kenya Medical Training College.
Ruto stressed that universities must be seen as more than degree-awarding institutions.
He described them as critical centres of innovation, research and national development.
“Every nation that has made a leap to prosperity has innovated and invented its way in laboratories, lecture halls and libraries built deliberately to turn knowledge into progress,” he said.
“A university is where a nation prepares the minds that will build the future it envisions.”
Under the Letter of Interim Authority, Kamagambo University will establish its governing organs, develop academic resources and, subject to approval by the Commission for University Education, begin admitting students. Ruto cautioned that the interim status is only the beginning.
“The word ‘interim’ matters. Kamagambo has crossed the threshold, but it has not reached its destination. The confidence expressed today must now be earned every day through academic integrity, sound governance, prudent stewardship and uncompromising quality,” he said.
Joining other institutions
Kamagambo becomes the third private university established by the Adventist Church in Kenya, joining the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton in Nandi County and the Adventist University of Africa in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County.
The President noted that the institution’s long history of training teachers provides a strong foundation as it expands into educating professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders.
He emphasised that expanding access must go hand in hand with quality and relevance. “Access to education and training without quality disappoints the student and quality without relevance disappoints the nation,” Ruto said.
Universities, he added, will ultimately be judged by the competence of their graduates, the impact of their research and the practical solutions they offer society.
Ruto challenged universities to equip young people not only to seek employment but to create businesses and transform industries. He warned that Kenya risks remaining dependent on imported solutions if it fails to invest in local knowledge and innovation.
Working relationship
“Kenya must become a nation that produces knowledge, applies it and exports it,” he said, calling for closer collaboration between universities, industry and government. Employers should help shape curricula, universities should expose students to real workplaces, and the government must create conditions for research to become technology, technology to become business, and business to create jobs.
He also urged Kamagambo to remain closely connected to the community and region it serves, understanding the aspirations of Migori County, tapping opportunities in the Lake Region and aligning teaching and research with national development needs.
Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba said the government is focused not merely on increasing the number of universities but on building a competitive higher education system that produces highly skilled professionals. “This milestone elevates an institution with a long history of faith, service and community transformation into Kenya’s 90th university,” he said.
Prof James Onyango Owino, chairperson of the Commission for University Education, said the Commission’s role does not end with the grant of interim authority. The Commission will continue to monitor, guide, advise and support the university to protect the interests of students, parents, staff, the local community and the nation.
