Uhuru awards charter to National Defence College

President Uhuru Kenyatta has awarded a charter to the National Defence College, making it the first specialised university in the country. 

The institution will now be referred to as the National Defence University Kenya (NDU-K) and will offer graduate and post-graduate training to local, foreign military and civilian leaders on current and emerging security challenges.

President Kenyatta said the university will fortify the country’s defence forces and improve their skills in military and civil diplomacy.

“As you know, our country has suffered a lot from terrorist attacks in the past few years, not to mention the threats posed by transnational organised crimes and intra-state conflicts,” said President Kenyatta.

He said, besides training military leaders, the university will lay the foundation for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to contribute more to internal civil needs such as humanitarian response.

The President assured the country of the government’s commitment to supporting NDU-K meet its training research and service.

The President spoke on Thursday when he presided over the graduation ceremony of 55 senior military officers and civil servants from Burundi, Malawi, Nepal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Kenya.

When she appeared before the Education Committee in November last year, Ministry of Defence Cabinet Secretary Monicah Juma said the courses had been inspected by the Commission for University Education (CUE).

Dr Juma said NDU-K will be different from a standard public university under the Act.

To be admitted to the university, the CS said Form Four leavers will not be eligible as only qualified participants through the Ministry of Defence will be admitted after undergoing training.

The students must also be personnel within the national security sector and cooperating foreign armed forces and selected public officers.

“The learners will be nominated at an advanced level in the service,” she said.

It will also be open to civilian public officers who must be nominated by their institutions.

Constituent colleges will be limited to KDF colleges and National Intelligence College.

In the miscellaneous amendment Bill of 2020, the Ministry of Defense proposed changes to section 24 of the Universities’ Act.

The Ministry of Defence proposed that a new section be inserted to read, “Notwithstanding subsection (i), the President may on the recommendations of the Commission through the Cabinet Secretary and on the advice of the national security establish a specialised degree-awarding institution specialising in national security issues.”

The Parliament approved the Bill that led to the President awarding the university a charter.