Our History
Kenya Utalii College (KUC) is a leading African hospitality and tourism training institution.
20+
Years of history and education
Kenya Utalii College (KUC) is a leading African hospitality and tourism training institution. Established 47 years ago the College has trained over 60,000 graduates from around the world who continue to serve in the local and international hospitality and tourism industry. The College opened its doors in 1975 and was established under the Hotels and Restaurants Act, (Cap. 494, Laws of Kenya) which has since been replaced by the Tourism Act, 2011.
KUC is among the three African EUHOFA (International Association of Hotel Schools) members. EUHOFA International is a prestigious association of hotel school directors and deans of hospitality colleges and universities who work continuously to ensure the highest quality of education in their institutes. The international hotel school association, EUHOFA International, started in 1955 and has grown since then. Today there are 200 members worldwide. The College hosted the international congress in 1996 and again in 2016. In addition, the institution is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
In addition, the institution is an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Our Tourism course has acquired accreditation by the Tourism Education Quality (TEDQUAL) certification body. Further, KUC is an authorized International Air Travel Agency (IATA) training Center. It is also East and Sub-Saharan Africa’s only Japanese Proficiency Language Test (JPLT) Examination Centre.
Kenya Utalii College is the Secretariat for Africa’s only Association of Hospitality and Tourism Schools (AHTSA) which has a membership of more than 27 hospitality and tourism schools drawn from over 15 countries. In addition, it is an East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) accredited Center of Excellence in Hospitality and Tourism training.
KUC is distinguished for providing world class training for both the local and international hospitality and tourism industry. Among the strategies put in place to achieve this is collaboration with other reputable training institutions, both locally and internationally, to help us deliver our mandate of Training and Capacity Building, Research and Consultancy for the Hospitality and Tourism Industry. This is also aligned to Kenya government Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and Economic Development Blueprint – Vision 2030.
In order to meet the ever-growing demand for training, especially for those already in employment, the College is gearing up to start offering e-learning in the near future. Increased linkages between the College and the hospitality and tourism industry stakeholders have seen most KUC graduates get internships and jobs in leading establishments within the industry. The institution is closely linked to the industry through the Tourism industry/Kenya Utalii College Liaison Committee.