Accreditation report for Daystar University

Abstract

Daystar University College has been under the guidance of the Commission for Higher Education for the purposes of accreditation in Kenya since 1986. Since that time, the Commission and its various Committees, have carried out a number of Inspections/visitations on Daystar between 1986 and 1992. The preliminary visit was carried out in July 1986. This was followed by a more detailed inspection and visitation in August, 1987, during which a number of recommendations were made to Daystar with regard to physical facilities, academic programmes, financial resources and draft charter. The 1987 inspection was followed by the 1990 and 1992 inspections and visitations during which, not only did the Inspection Committee interview the Principal and his chief officers, but also the Governing Council, academic staff and students on various issues. The inspections by the Inspection committee were preceded by the inspections by the Technical Committee, which gave detailed reports on physical facilities, and which therefore became the basis of the inspection of physical facilities by the Inspection Committee. The 1992 inspection/visitation was a much more• comprehensive one, covering as it did, all aspects of institutional accreditation, with a view to finding out the state of preparedness of Daystar for the award of charter. The 1992 inspection coincided with Daystar's rapid development of the Athi River Campus, which had been acquired in 1990, and to which they had moved first year students in September 1992.

From the interaction Daystar has had with the Commission, we believe that they have learnt a lot, and are thus now fully conscious of the high academic standards the Commission has set to establish in Kenya, as well as high standards expected of them in all fields of their operations. We believe that Daystar is now in a position to take off as a university institution, capable of formulating sound policies and regulating its own academic standards, with the sole purpose of promoting quality higher education in Kenya. As part of the accreditation exercise, we have made a number of recommendations on which Daystar is expected to take actions within the next one to three years, as a condition for the award of Charter. With the resolve they have shown to develop as a university institution in Kenya, we have no doubt that they will take action on the recommendations as required, and live up to the expectations the Commission has built on them. The Commission therefore has no hesitation in recommending that Daystar be awarded a Charter.