St Paul's University

About St Paul's University

St. Paul's University is a Christian ecumenical institution with students and staff from all over the world. Our mission is to raise the standards of education through holistic learning, in a Christian ecumenical atmosphere that gives room for people of all faiths to find a place of study, research, intellectual and spiritual engagement, and growth.

We dare dream, plan, and act, as we serve God and humanity. We have continued to make great strides and are ever grateful to all who have been part of our journey. We do not take for granted the high standards of excellence that we see all around us. It has taken the genuine willingness of many who have sacrificially given of themselves in extraordinary service. We owe our successes to God and to all who proudly and selflessly carry the distinctive St. Paul?s mark of dedication.

We continue to increase our range of academic programs on offer at all levels including certificate Diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate degrees. Our Programmes are supported by quality facilities and qualified faculty to guarantee that our vision to nurture dreams and empower our learners is realized. Each program is designed and carefully taught with one eye on sound academic content and the other on its applicability to concrete contemporary realities.

Intellectual thirst is here quenched, potentials discovered and talents nurtured. Our graduates are never short of the creative approach to life not only because of the knowledge and skills gained but more so for the relevance of each of our programs to the times and contextual realities we live in.

As a leading Christian University, SPU is proud of its academic excellence and the contributions it has made to society. If you are an ambitious person who seeks a challenge and is eager to discover knowledge that will help make a difference in your life, your community, and the world, then this is the place for you.

Vision: A University of Academic Excellence Based on Christian Principles Producing Graduates in Various Fields for Global Service.

Mission: To Develop Servant Leaders by Imparting Knowledge, Skills and Values through Creative Methods of Education, Research and Christian Spiritual Formation.

Our Identity: St. Paul's University is a Christian Ecumenical Community Dedicated to the Promotion of Knowledge and Christian Spiritual Formation for the Good of Humanity and the Glory of God.

Our Philosophy: The Philosophy of the university is: Commitment to Christian Ecumenism, Quality Service and High Academic Standards as Inspired by Christian Faith and Founded upon Christian Values.

The objectives of St. Paul's University are:

• to provide directly or in collaboration with other institutions university education which leads to intellectual maturity and Christian spiritual formation of the students,
• to guide students to understand their individual needs and talents and to develop their potential for productive life and service,
• to preserve, produce, process, transmit and disseminate knowledge and stimulate the intellectual life and culturally relevant development of society,
• to conduct research and encourage the conduct of research which enhances human knowledge and promotes quality service to humanity,
• to play an effective role in the development and expansion of Christian university education in Kenya and Africa, and
• to develop in students a deeper understanding of traditional and modern Africa, and to equip them effectively to provide a Christian approach to the social, economic, and political development of the African continent.

St Paul's University - Historical journey

The origin of St Paul's University goes back to the early years of missionary work in East Africa. In 1875 the Church Missionary Society (CMS) founded a settlement for freed slaves at Frere Town, near Mombasa. In 1888, the Rev. E. A. Fitch began a Divinity class designed to offer some practical skills and Christian leadership training to these freed slaves. The Divinity class offered training to six teacher-evangelists who were ordained Deacons. Thus began the training of Africans for the ordained ministry of the Christian Church.

On the 28th July 1903, the Rev. H. K. Binns laid the foundation stone of St. Paul's Divinity School at Frere Town, Mombasa. This stone can be seen on the front of the present Chapel at Limuru to where the original Divinity school was transferred in January 1930.

The Divinity School continued as an Anglican Institution until 1949 when the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and the Methodist Church in Kenya joined and brought in their ministerial candidates for training. In 1954 the transitional union was accomplished when the three Churches formed a College Council to run the affairs of the College; and on the 1st January 1955, the CMS St. Paul's Divinity School became St. Paul's United Theological College. In 1973 the Reformed Church of East Africa formally joined the other three Churches as the fourth Participating Partner.

On the 18th of March 1993, the National Council of Churches of Kenya in its corporate identity was admitted by the Governing Council as the fifth Participating Partner in the ownership of the College. On September 14th, 2007, the University was awarded a Charter to become St. Paul's University. The University is based upon the partnership of the four Participating Churches and the NCCK as a corporate body with the representation in the Governing Council being ACK 50%, PCEA 20%, MCK 10%, RCEA 10% and NCCK 10%.