What is now Lukenya University began as a primary school on a cattle farm in Makueni county, halfway between Nairobi and Mombasa. In 2011, 20 years after the original primary school was set up, its founders looked into expanding into university education. Lukenya University began admitting students for degrees five years later.
Lukenya has been a fully fledged university since 2021. Its degrees are offered across four schools: health sciences; business and economics; agriculture, technical studies and natural sciences; and education and social sciences. It provides access to study-abroad and student-exchange schemes, as well as distance-learning programmes.
The rural campus includes single-sex accommodation for all students. While cooking is not allowed in the residential hostels, there are various canteens and cafeterias, including a fast-food option. The campus student centre houses clothing and textile shops, a cyber café and a phone-repair shop.
University clubs include a mentorship club, an environmental club, a drama and theatre club, a science club and an agriculture club. Many clubs organise field trips and off-campus symposia and excursions. Students are also able to participate in sports, including basketball, netball, football, rugby, table tennis, lawn tennis, volleyball and athletics. Students can also compete in games organised by the Kenya University Sports Association.
