The first Institution for higher education was established in 1951 after the Royal Technical and Commercial Institute in Nairobi received a Royal Charter. It opened its doors to the first students in April 1956.

In July 1958 a working party was instituted to give expert advice on the pattern of higher education in East Africa. One of its chief recommendations made it possible for the Royal Technical College to be transformed into the second Inter-Territorial University College in East Africa.

It is upon this that Kenya’s first national University, to be known as the University of Nairobi, was later established by an Act of Parliament. Even before 1947, many Kenyans used to get higher education by attending foreign Universities, which is still the habit to date.

Higher education has expanded more tremendously in the last twenty years. In 1964, there were 536 Kenyan students in the East African University College compared with the present record of over 40,000 at Nairobi, Moi, Kenyatta, Jomo Kenyatta UAT and Egerton Universities. The government has been encouraging students to study outside the country. There is a record 60,000 students studying abroad.