Mount Kenya University (MKU) is deepening its international footprint through a strategic collaboration with German institutions, marked by a high-level visit from the German Embassy on April 2, 2025. The delegation, led by Deputy Ambassador Alexander Fierley, included Ms. Kerstin Pfirrmann, Culture Attaché, and Dr. Dorothee Weyler, Director of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
The visit was part of MKU’s ongoing efforts to enhance its partnership with Hochschule Koblenz University of Applied Sciences, a collaboration focused on creating academic exchange pathways and practical traineeship opportunities for Kenyan students in Germany.
The engagement featured a courtesy call to the Vice-Chancellor, a campus tour, and a presentation highlighting the MKU–Hochschule Koblenz partnership. In addition, the delegation held an interactive session with students interested in study and work opportunities in Germany.
Speaking during the visit, Deputy Ambassador Fierley reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to expanding academic and professional linkages with Kenya. “Education exchange plays a key role in our bilateral relationship. We’re glad to see MKU’s progress in nurturing this collaboration,” he said.
In the same breath ,in December 2024, MKU launched a Preparatory Certificate Course aimed at equipping Kenyan students for nursing apprenticeships in Germany. The program, designed in collaboration with Hochschule Koblenz, is tailored to meet the rising demand for health professionals in the German healthcare sector. Successful candidates are required to hold a minimum KCSE grade of C plain, be under 29 years of age, and demonstrate B2-level proficiency in the German language.
Pathways to Europe
By March 2025, MKU had dispatched its third cohort of nursing apprentices to Germany. The apprenticeship offers students practical training in partner hospitals, positioning them for long-term career growth abroad. “Our partnership with Hochschule Koblenz has played a vital role in equipping our students with world-class training and global career opportunities,” noted MKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi.
The collaboration has also attracted significant funding. In December 2024, MKU, through the Africa Centre for Career Enhancement and Skill Support (ACCESS 2.0), secured a €4.5 million DAAD grant to strengthen employability skills and industry-academia linkages over a five-year period (2025–2029).
Additionally, MKU is part of DAAD’s In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Program, which supports students from Sub-Saharan Africa pursuing Master’s programs in Medical-Surgical Nursing and Public Health. The scholarship targets young professionals with a strong academic background who completed their undergraduate degrees within the last six years.
MKU’s growing presence in German academic circles was further demonstrated in August 2024 when university officials participated in the DAAD Project Leaders Conference in Tanzania. The forum focused on the role of universities in advancing sustainable development through knowledge exchange, leadership training, and transnational cooperation.
source : MKU News
