Kirinyaga University (KyU) is located approximately 115 Km North East of Nairobi on Sagana - Embu - Highway. It is the successor to Kirinyaga Technical Institute which was conceived by the people of Kirinyaga way back in 1971 when the former head of state His Excellency the President, Hon. Daniel Arap Moi C.G.H., M.P. (then Vice-president) launched the Harambee Fund Raising Drive at the request of Kirinyaga people. Kirinyaga County Council set aside 200 acres of land for the institute at Kutus and 50 more acres were also acquired at Kangaita area on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. The Institute opened doors to the first students on 2nd March 1977 when 72 students were enrolled, 48 of these students were admitted in the building and construction department while the remaining 24 were enrolled in the clothing and textile technology department. New training programmes were introduced in plumbing and Electrical installation in the early and mid-eighties respectively.

Kirinyaga University College the predecessor to KyU was established as a constituent college of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and technology (JKUAT) through a Legal Order No. 108 of August 2011. KyUC admitted its first student in September 2012 in two Bachelors’ degree programmes and grew tremendously in student and staff population with commensurate facilities to host 13 degree programmes.

Kirinyaga University was granted charter by His Excellency Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta the President of the republic of Kenya on 7th October 2016 with thirteen academic degree programmes, and has since increased the number of academic degree programmes. The University is positioning itself to be a leader in offering courses geared towards producing employers and not employees in areas outlined by the Vision 2030.