Karatina University is located on premises that had been established as the Kenya Tea Training Institute owned and managed by the then Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA). The site was a tea nursery set up in 1957 to initiate the Africans in the Central and Eastern Regions of Kenya into tea growing.
In April, 2007, the Kenya Tea Training Institute was taken over by Moi University from KTDA to become the Mount Kenya Campus of Moi University. The first students posted to the campus were 23 admitted to pursue school based progremmes. The Campus was thereafter renamed Central Kenya Campus of Moi University. With time, the Central Kenya Campus grew both in terms of student population and the infrastructure that it
was considered for elevation into a Constituent College. Upon the pronouncement of the Karatina University Legal Order, 2010 the Central Kenya Campus was established as a legal entity under the corporate name Karatina University College as a constituent college of Moi University. In 2013, the 3rd President of Kenya, HE Mwai Kibaki CGH awarded Karatina University a charter as a public university in Kenya.
The University is grographically situated 15km North off Karatina town; and the University aspires to be one of the leading institutions of higher learning in Kenya, regionally and globally. The institution offers quality education in tandem with the needs and aspirations of the global village as captured in our Vision, Mission and Core Values.
Karatina University locality is rich in Agricultural soils and endowed with tourist attractions within the vicinity of snow-capped Mount Kenya. The serene environment makes it an ideal place for learning.
