Mount Kenya University last week unveiled a new ICT system that it said would enable students and faculty to leverage Artificial Intelligence in academic and administrative systems.
The University Integrated Resource Planning (UnIRP), which is being rolled out at MKU in partnership with Marwadi Technologies of India, is expected to enable the institution lead in riding the digital wave by giving students tools to take charge of their education, including a mobile app that enables them to track progress and engage lecturers.
It also enables lecturers to unlock new possibilities in research, collaboration and mentoring.
The system, unveiled last Friday, will enable students to track applications while giving them real-time personalised responses through automation of all processes from admission to graduation, reducing administrative burdens.
The system also enhances academic integrity through proctoring and plagiarism detection technologies.
“The next frontier, I would say, in all aspects of humanity, is going to require the input of artificial intelligence as a key resource of development. We will not be left behind in the adoption of AI as an institution,” said Prof Simon Gicharu, founder and chairman of MKU.
“Globally, every institution is talking about AI… moving forward, we want to see how to apply AI across different areas.”
“And in order to prepare our students for AI, we shall incorporate artificial intelligence in all our programmes.. And we are not talking about these things theoretically, but we have tapped a very qualified personnel, a consultant, who will steer our adoption of AI.”
Prof Deogratius Jaganyi, Vice Chancellor MKU, said the system would potentially open Artificial Intelligence for the students and faculty members, urging them to “lead this digital wave”.Moving forward, all the students joining the university will have to undertake AI as a university-wide unit.
“This system will touch every corner of academic life. It is a custom-built digital environment, designed to enhance student experience, boost research, and enable agile learning. It is a system that listens, learns, and adapts to the needs of our customers, partners and industry,” said Jaganyi.
Mount Kenya University leadership, led by Chairman and founder Prof. Simon Gicharu (centre), with MKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deogratious Jaganyi, and MKU board member John Gicharu (right), institution enhanced ICT systems, adopting University Integrated Resource Planning( UnIRP), incorporating Artificial Intelligence within its academic and administrative systems in partnership with Marwadi Technologies, whose team is led by Mr Nijo Ninan (left), senior manager at UnIRP JOHN MUCHUCHA / POLL
He noted that UnIRP would empower MKU’s academic ecosystem through simplifying processes for students from admission to access exam results and transcripts, as well as course management, research collaboration and curriculum design for staff.
“For students, there will be no more waiting weeks for results or standing in queues for registration while staff will, for example, be able to use predictive analytics that can help identify students at risk of falling behind academic schedule, allowing for timely interventions,” said Jaganyi, adding that the system employs state of art security.
“This transformation is student-centred and security-first. We understand that trust is the foundation of any digital system. UnIRP incorporates biometric-secured logins to protect student accounts from unauthorised access, real-time alerts on deadlines, fee payments, and academic notices, ensuring no student misses critical updates and a mobile app for 24/7 access to everything from hostel allocation to thesis submission, making education truly borderless.”
“We are building systems that learn from students, not just serve them. For instance, the system’s analytics can recommend units based on a student’s academic history, creating a personalised learning journey.”
The rollout of UnIRP comes at a time when the university has enhanced adoption of ICT and digital technologies.
Marwadi Technologies described UniRP as a highly efficient platform for university management, synchronising different functions seamlessly.
Hardeep Jadeja, a Project manager at Marwadi Technologies, said the launch of the UnIRP won’t solve all problems of MKU in one goal; it is rather a gradual process for adaptation and utilisation.
Dr. Mercyline Kamande, DVC- Academic and Research Affairs, said the new system reaffirmed MKU’s commitment to digitising its academic administration and redefining pedagogy at MKU.
“UnIRP introduces smart automation into every facet of academic life, creating an environment where teaching, learning, and research thrive. This aligns with MKU’s vision of becoming a global leader in higher education,” she said.
“This aligns directly with our research strategy: fostering global partnerships, securing funded innovation, and digitising grant applications to make research more accessible and impactful.”
Dr. Janet Wanjiku Nganga, who is a specialist in Artificial Intelligence, noted that the University of the future has to adapt fast to changes taking place today.
“We are talking about AI, big data, blockchain, virtual reality, augmented reality and internet of things. These are no longer buzzwords, they are affecting our lives as we speak today.
“Students, too, have to change. We are talking about multidisciplinary knowledge even in the workplace… someone might be in chemistry, but is computational chemistry or computational biology? You could be in finance, but there is computing in it.”
Dr. Janet noted, “As universities, we should be able to train the next generation of workers or entrepreneurs who have more than just one knowledge base… they have digital literacy, AI literacy and such capabilities or technology to allow them to navigate the new markets.”
She also noted that universities of the future should be ready to onboard a new generation of students, who have interacted with computers their whole life.
“In the next five years, we will be having about 7 million children seeking post-secondary education every year… they are very digitally savvy. So they have very high digital expectations, even in the classroom. These are kids who have been born with smartphones from day one. It's not like how we went to school,” she said.
