Dedan Kimathi University of Technology
Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (or DeKUT) is a public, coeducational technological university in Nyeri, Kenya. It is one of 22 public universities in Kenya, having been a constituent college of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology since the year 2007 until it was chartered to become a fully fledged public university on 14 December 2012.
DeKUT Logo sculpture at the Old Administration Block | |
Other name | DeKUT, Kimathi |
|---|---|
Former name | Kimathi Institute of Technology (K.I.T.), Kimathi University College of Technology (KUCT) |
| Motto | Better Life through Technology |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 2012 |
Academic affiliations | College of the Rockies |
| Chancellor | Gen (rtd) Julius W. Karangi |
| Vice-Chancellor | Prof. Peter N. Muchiri |
| Undergraduates | ~12,000 |
| Postgraduates | ~500 |
| Location | , Kenya 0°23′43″S 36°57′45″E |
| Campus | Suburban, 990 acres (400 ha) |
| Colors | Gold, red and green |
| Website | www |
It was the first university in Kenya to be chartered under the new universities act of 2012 and the eighth public university to be established in the country.
It started as a middle-level national technical and business-oriented learning institution in 1972 and was elevated in 2007 to a constituent university college of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology through a Kenya Gazette notice to become a full-fledged university in three years. However, this came later on 14 December 2012 when President Mwai Kibaki officiated and awarded the institution a charter in a ceremony attended by government officials and higher education stakeholders.
It is located 6 km from Nyeri along the Nyeri – Mweiga highway. The college land spans about 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) consisting of 350 acres (1.4 km2) of natural forest, 350 acres (1.4 km2) of mature coffee and 300 acres (1.2 km2) of open space for expansion
On 26 November 2008 construction of a multi-purpose resource centre began. The second phase, out of four, of this project reached completion in late 2010. It serves as the main hub for activities and events in the college.