By Sandra Blessing
After securing the Letter of Interim Authority (LIA) last month, the African Talent University (TATU) will start admitting students this month of May 2026.
The authority from the Commission for University Education (CUE) now mandates the institution to undertake its core academic agenda.
Last month, Education Cabinet Secretary Dr Migot Ogamba presided over the award, which brought the number of registered universities in the country to 85.
Head of the institution, Prof. Humphrey Oborah, said they have dispatched letters to the Higher Education Loans Board and the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) to enable students to benefit from government facilities.
He said the registration of the university will help address some of the gaps in the education sector.
“I am grateful for the registration. This is not a burden but a responsibility to bring something back home. It is a vote of confidence,” he said.
TATU is Kisumu-based and is the only fully talent-based higher learning institution in the country.
The university offers non-traditional education and focuses on producing skilled professionals who are not traditionally academically endowed.
Dr Ogamba said the registration of the university marked a step towards building a university education system that works for every young Kenyan.
“The grant of the Letter of Interim Authority reflects our commitment to expanding education opportunities, nurturing talents in all their forms, and keeping university education aligned with the realities of our times,” he said.
The CS said the registration of the university was testimony that the government was responding to a growing demand for university education in the country.
“Each year, over 900,000 candidates sit the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination, with only 28 percent transitioning to university, which can fully nurture diverse talents,” he said.
He said with the steady expansion, there is a shift from old tradition to a system that reflects skills, innovations, and flexibility, and to become a hub for creativity, digital transformation, research, and enterprise.
For the last two decades, Prof Oborah has battled to have the dream become a reality, and yesterday marked a new chapter in his life.
“We intend to establish a model that teaches learners through natural ability, creativity, and practical skill rather than examinations alone,” he said.
