The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Kenya

When launching the University’s year-long Silver Jubilee celebrations in February 2009, the Vice- Chancellor, the Rev Prof John Maviiri, was clear that the difference CUEA alumni are making in societies and church in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe attest to the quality of education offered by the university.

CUEA seeks to prepare leaders who are distinguished both by their academic and professional expertise and by high moral standards. The various faculties dedicate themselves to educating and training students in scientific methods of research, both in theory and practice, to enable graduates to contribute more meaningfully to the cultural, scientific and economic development of societies. 

The eight countries which CUEA serves are members of the regional Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa (AMECEA), but students and staff are drawn from as far afield as Nigeria, South Africa and beyond, giving the university its enviable international character.

This is important in the sense that CUEA students are exposed to cultures that are as rich and as diverse as their own. This enables them to get a better understanding of their fellow countrymen and women as well as their neighbours, African brothers and sisters and the international teachers who train them to think and how to solve challenges and problems that beset them, their communities and countries.

In this regard, it is also important to note that while CUEA is a Catholic university, its students and staff are drawn from varied religious backgrounds. The University’s policy is to admit all applicants irrespective of their religious backgrounds as long as they meet the requirements set by the institution for admission. However, students are expected to respect Catholic teaching and practice.

CUEA in 2004 established the Office of Academic Linkages, which has seen the University forge beneficial partnerships with reputable institutions around the world and with key associations such as the Association of African Universities (AAU), International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA), International Association of Universities (IAU) and the Association of Catholic Universities and Higher Institutes of Africa and Madagascar.

CUEA has invested heavily in information communication technology (ICT) in its endeavour to have this sector support academic excellence and promote global best practice in the University.

The autonomous ICT Department was inaugurated in September of 2007 in line with CUEAS’s Strategic Development Plan of 2001 to 2011 to raise the status of the University’s ICT systems and ensure that CUEA remains relevant and competitive in the higher education sector. This is why the ICT Department is at the forefront of new media development for CUEA.

Indeed, CUEA aims at becoming a paperless institution and to become leaders in innovation in the education sector. This is a vision that is driven by the Integrated Management System (IMIS) which covers the three primary areas of academics, library and finance.