NAIROBI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Garissa University College (GUC), which Al-Shabaab attacked in April 2015 and killed more than 140 people, mostly students, is set to be awarded a Charter this week, a legal document that authorizes the university to discharge its mandate.
President Uhuru Kenyatta was expected to award the Charter in Nairobi on Thursday, completing the turnaround of the university following the attack.
The award would bring the number of public universities in the East African nation to 31. Kenya currently has a total of 71 universities (both private and public), making it among the developing African countries with the highest number of institutions of higher learning.
The Charter to be awarded signifies the grant of authority of rights, recognizing the prerogative of GUC to exercise the rights specified.
A report submitted to Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i on Monday said the award of Charter to the institution is an indication of government's commitment to promote the growth and university education in Kenya.
"Garissa University has conformed to the standards stipulated in the universities Standards and Guidelines, 2014 and Universities Regulations, 2014," he said.
Matiang'i in a congratulatory note sent to Garissa University College Principal, Ahmed Osman Warfa, said that despite the numerous challenges faced by the institution, it had endeavored to safeguard quality as it executes its mandate.
"This is a great achievement, not only to the university, but also to all those who worked tirelessly with the institution to ensure it receives this new status," he said.
GUC has been operating as a constituent college of Moi University since 2011. The institution came into limelight in April, 2015 when it was attacked by Al-Shabaab.
Despite the government's effort to beef up security in the institution and its environments, parents and guardians had shied away from taking their children to study in the institution.
Warfa said that the university was slowly picking up as more government-sponsored students report to the institution over the past two years.
"The university has a total enrolment of 979, out of which 413 are government-sponsored," he said.
