University of Nairobi

The University of Nairobi is the pioneer institution of University education in Kenya and the region. The only institution of higher learning in Kenya for a long time, the University of Nairobi responded to the national regional and Africa’s high level manpower training needs by developing and evolving strong, diversified academic programmes and specializations in sciences, applied sciences, technology, humanities, social sciences and the arts. These academic programmes are offered in the 6 Colleges located in the capital city and its environs and various campuses located in Western and Coastal parts of Kenya.

The College of Education and External Studies specializes in professional development of teachers in both arts-based and science-based disciplines. The Mission of the College is to provide leadership in the realm of Educational Studies, Sports Sciences and Teacher Professional Development. The College has two Schools, the School of Education and the School of Continuing and Distance Education; the schools offer specialized teacher training courses from certificate to PhD level.

The Department of Education Administration and Planning is one of the Departments in the School of Education. It offers courses towards preparation of teachers in areas of curriculum development, educational administration, educational planning and teacher education. The Department also introduced the Education in Emergencies program in 2010; the programme produced its first graduates in 2012. The Department has partnered with the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network (AHEEN) to develop a Diploma program in Teacher Education in Emergencies.

The Center for Translation and Interpretation offers a PhD in Translation, a PhD in Interpretation, a Master in Translation and a Master in Interpretation, as well as a refugee-ready Diploma in Community Interpreting in collaboration with the African University Network for Higher Education in Emergencies. This scarcity of trained personnel in the specialized fields of translation and interpretation has led to an emergence of substandard translation and interpretation services in the region. The University of Nairobi (UoN) in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) launched its Centre for Translation and Interpretation in November 2010, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations, the European Commission, the European Masters in Conference Interpreting (EMCI) and the Pan African Masters Consortium in Interpretation and Translation (PAMCIT), with a view to fill the skills gap. The Centre is the only one of its kind in Eastern and Central Africa, and committed to providing quality training, research and practice in translation and interpretation, while ensuring we produce translators and interpreters equipped to compete for jobs in the international market.