Maseno University Prepares for 2029 Competency-Based Intake Amid Graduation Milestones

Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Erick Nyambedha told the 26th graduation audience that Maseno University is launching a series of measures to ready itself for the first cohort of learners under Kenya’s competency-based curriculum expected in 2029.

He said the School of Education has been given the lead to organise admission processes for the new curriculum while university staff attend seminars, workshops and training sessions to acquire the required skills.

The university is also expanding its digital learning capacity by embedding information technology across its academic programmes.

The graduation ceremony on Friday saw 5,739 students receive qualifications, including 5,347 bachelor’s degrees, 95 master’s degrees, 39 doctorates, 130 diplomas, 112 postgraduate diplomas in education and 16 certificates.

Nyambedha noted that the completion rate recorded in the 2026 graduation statistics exceeds the 80 percent threshold set by the Commission for University Education, saying “The Commission for University Education’s recommended completion rate is 80 percent and the completion recorded in the 2026 graduation statistics surpasses that threshold.”

He added that the university is positioning itself to meet evolving teaching and learning demands, citing the growing use of digital platforms and the debut of a pioneer pharmacy graduating class.

The vice-chancellor credited the achievement to support from the national government, the dedication of academic and non-academic staff and the sacrifices of parents, guardians and education sponsors, and singled out the Ministry of Education and the State Department for University Education and Research for budgetary support, policy direction and governance stewardship.

Nyambedha also highlighted that the institution continues academic operations despite pressure on lecture halls, laboratories, student hostels and office space, and disclosed that about 32,000 students are currently enrolled, stretching existing infrastructure.

Acting Chancellor Prof Naftali Omolo Ongati urged the graduates to apply their knowledge to challenges such as climate change, poverty, hunger, infectious diseases and insecurity, and encouraged careers in research and innovation while calling on alumni to become the first line of donors through the Alumni Association.

He announced progress on an ICT Hub being built with the M-Pesa Foundation and appealed for additional development partners to back the university’s expansion programmes, noting that a Science Laboratories Complex under construction will provide strategic research facilities.

Acting Chairman of the University Council Dr Matilda Chemutai Sang praised the government for completing the Prof George Magoha Complex and Julius Nyabundi Hostels and for the ongoing Modern Science Laboratory Complex, and congratulated the Class of 2026 on their achievements.

The ceremony was attended by Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum James Opiyo Wandayi, who lauded the university’s academic progress as essential for national development, and by Principal Secretary for Higher Education Dr Beatrice Muganda Inyangala, who reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continue supporting higher-learning institutions.