Creating Global Universities at the Grassroots: Challenges and Prospects in East Africa with Reference to Kenya

Abstract

The paper explores how universities that have been established from scratch in East Africa have contributed and may contribute to the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The paper interrogates the reasons for the establishment of these new universities through considering both the legislative, political mechanisms and community initiatives that support the establishment of these universities. It discusses how the programmes offered in these Universities (dis)connect with the local communities' aspirations in development; create new aspirations that may run counter to the position and definition of the university as a global institution and, at the same time, enable the universities to operate within a national, regional and international grid of knowledge creation and dissemination.