Uzima University College is now fully fledged and not a constituent college of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
This is after the Commission for University Education granted the Uzima management an interim authority to establish a new university.
In a letter seen by the Star, CUE directed the institution to set up a governing body for the new university to be known as Uzima University with effect from March 4.
It is signed by Education CS George Magoha and CUE chairperson Chacha Nyaigotti.
“The authority is given the seal of the commission and duly authenticated on March 4,” the letter reads.
The commission advised the university’s board of trustees to continue the development of physical facilities and assembly of academic resources with prior approval of the commission to admit students.
The management was asked to establish and maintain internal quality assurance, mechanisms to assure standards, quality and relevance in the institution.
Vice chancellor Cosmas Rhagot said they are committed to offering quality courses.
He said the interim authority follows their application number to be a fully-fledged university.
This comes after the faith-based institution criticised the closure of its medical school.
But the management vowed to appeal the decision by the East Africa Community and Kenya Medical and Dental Practitioners Regulatory councils.
“We will appeal the verdict. We have raised the issue and are applying for re-inspection,” Rhagot said.
He said Uzima was wrongly targeted and the facilities, which were discredited by the councils are well-equipped.
“Our institution has complied with the required standards and past reports have given our School of Medicine clean bill health,” he said.
The VC disputed the report terming it a misrepresentation of the institution’s actual status. He alleged that the university was being targeted for being honest with the regulation team, "unlike other institutions".
“We are a Catholic institution that values quality and standards all over the world. We are committed to providing the best services to the people."
Rhagot said only the School of Medicine had challenges but learning was normal in other faculties.
The management has six months to close the medical school and distribute students elsewhere.
School of Medicine dean Boniface Ganda said Uzima has a state-of-the-art laboratory as well as enough staff to support learning activities.
He questioned the inconsistency between the verbal exit report and final report which, he said, underlines the value of evaluatee and evaluator in collaboration to pick gaps.
The closure followed a third joint inspection of medical and dental schools as well as teaching hospitals that found Uzima to be only 49 per cent compliant.
Edited by R.Wamochie