Africa Nazarene University (ANU)
Africa Nazarene University is a Chartered Private Christian University sponsored by the Church of the Nazarene International and is a member of the worldwide family of Nazarene institutions.
Since its establishment in 1994, Africa Nazarene University has grown in leaps and bounds to be a reputable institution of Higher Learning, known for its pioneering spirit, excellence in teaching, character formation and service to the community.
In line with its mission statement and value proposition, ANU continues to strive to be the university of choice for individuals desiring Christ-centered academic excellence, by providing an environment where bright minds can be educated and transformed for service and leadership with the intention of making a difference in Africa and the world. Africa Nazarene University is committed to the cultivation and nurturing of a transformative milieu that nurtures innovation by offering training in cutting-edge disciplines that are responsive to societal needs. Our intention is to produce graduates who are creative, innovative, and solution-driven.
Our mission and vision are to provide our graduates with a holistic education. In practical terms, this means that besides equipping our students with excellent academic skills and competencies, we intentionally influence character development and integrity of heart which are the key foundations in making choices for your life’s journey. We are confident that this foundation will lead to the principled use of opportunities that will make you a person of distinction in what field you choose to make your contribution to society.
Vision: To be the university of choice for individuals desiring Christ-centered academic excellence and transformative leadership.
Mission: To provide a holistic education that develops individuals academically, spiritually, culturally, socially and physically and to equip them with excellent skills, competencies, and Christian values which will enable them to go into the world well prepared to meet the challenges of their time.
Motto: What begins here, transforms the world.
Core Values
Africa Nazarene University is a member of the worldwide family of Nazarene institutions founded on the same principles – the development of students in a strong spiritual environment. ANU offers a well-rounded, holistic education to help members establish themselves in the University’s core values:
These core values guide the behavior and form the basis of the Africa Nazarene University Culture.
Africa Nazarene University (ANU) is a place where students are equipped with knowledge, skills and values that resonate with the demands of the 21st-century thus ensuring that our graduates are well prepared to meet and overcome the challenges of their time. We leverage our International positioning to provide our students with a diverse, global faculty through our relationships with a global network of Universities under the Church of the Nazarene. Through these networks of Sister institutions. Our intention is to bring global perspectives and standards to the education that our students receive.
It is our firm commitment to offer our students excellence in higher education that is firmly grounded in positive moral values that are consistent with the best of the Christian tradition. With our close connection to the International Church of the Nazarene, headquartered in the United States, we have a global outlook at ANU, with the best local and international faculty available. We have in any given academic term, students from 12 to 18 countries of origin.
ANU is a place where as a student you will experience being part of a culturally diverse community made up of students from over 27 African countries and exchange students and faculty from our sister Universities in the US, UK, South Korea, Latin America and the Philippines. When we say that “what begins at ANU transforms the world”, it is as much an affirmation of the quality of Education we offer as it is an affirmation of the global positioning of our students.
In the early 1980s, the challenges that the Nazarene Church saw in Africa demanded setting up a training facility for the clergy. As a result, the Church set out to establish an institution of higher education. During the Africa-wide search for a choice location, the Kenya 1985 Universities Act provided for the establishment of a private university provided a ready answer.
In 1985, the General Board of the Church of the Nazarene established an education commission to plan for the development of Nazarene education facilities around the world. This move set the stage for the Kenya venture. The church leaders began negotiations with the Commission for Higher Education in Kenya to establish a degree-awarding institution. After consideration of the Church's request, the Commission advised the church to open a liberal arts institution.
In July 1993, the Church granted approval for the establishment of a university in Africa following a unanimous vote by its members during a General Assembly in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The Church, through the university’s founders, pursued negotiations with the Commission of University Education, then the Commission of Higher Education (CHE), to establish a degree-awarding institution. On 23 November 1993, the CHE issued, on behalf of the Kenyan Government, a Letter of Interim Authority to lay the foundation and develop the university. ANU became the first Nazarene university outside North America. It was established to prepare both ministerial and lay leaders for the Church.
Situated in the middle of the great Maasai savannah, the physical foundation of the university was laid on 50.181 hectares (124 acres), thus began the actualization of a dream to establish an expansive African Christian university. ANU’s beautiful main campus is located next to Nairobi National Park, off Magadi Road near Ongata Rongai Town, just 24km from Nairobi City Center. It presents a safe, serene environment – ideal for studies.
ANU is proud of its humble beginnings and development since August 1994 when Dr. Martha John, ANU’s first Vice-Chancellor, opened the University’s doors to 62 students from eleven African countries taking undergraduate courses in Theology and Business Administration or a Masters of Arts in Religion. One year later, the university introduced the Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, welcoming an additional 42 students.
Prof. Leah T Marangu took over the role of vice-chancellor in January 1996 and was formally installed in February 1997. The growth of ANU, in course expansion and increased student enrollment, is the outcome of Prof. Marangu’s inspiring and able leadership. On 8 October 2002, the Kenyan government granted the University its Charter (Accreditation Credentials). ANU was the first private university to receive this credential under the University Act without being affiliated with any other university locally or abroad.
The Charter was a great milestone indicating the University’s maturity in its management and academic standards. Starting off with three programs, the university now celebrates offering 36 programs cutting across several disciplines. Our footprint has grown from one campus to two campuses that offer face-to-face learning together with a distance learning platform that increases our reach and accessibility across Africa and beyond. Today, the university nurtures and celebrates its over 4,000 student population.
Firmly tied to its vision and mission, ANU has provided quality education to our students exposing them to the latest technologies and the challenges in the world while seeking to cement their leadership and service skills to God and mankind. ANU’s quest to transform the world was realized with our pioneer students and it continues to be achieved with our students and graduates today.
