Africa Nazarene University is a private Christian University and an institution of the
Church of the Nazarene International, who follow the
Wesleyan holiness tradition. It was established to prepare leaders for the church both at ministerial and
laity level. The Church of the Nazarene sought to address African society's challenges in the early 1980s by implementing higher education. Moreover, Africa Nazarene University looked into moulding the younger generation in an upright and Christian based environment. In accordance with the Kenya University's Act of 1985, (provision for establishment of private universities in Kenya), the Church settled on Kenya as a location to start a Nazarene University which became the first one outside North America. In July 1993, the board of the church granted its authority for the establishment of a university in Africa following a unanimous vote by its members during a General Assembly in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The church, through the university's founders, continued to pursue negotiations with the Commission of University Education, then Commission of Higher Education, to establish a degree awarding institution. Therefore, the legal authority to establish the university was given on November 23, 1993, when the commission issued, on behalf of the Kenyan Government, a letter of interim authority for the university to start laying the foundation for the development of Africa Nazarene University. In August 1994 Dr. Martha John, the university's first Vice Chancellor, opened its doors to 62 students from eleven African countries taking undergraduate courses in Theology and Business Administration and a Masters of Arts in religion. One year later, the university introduced the Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, welcoming an additional 42 students. Professor Leah Marangu took over from Dr. John in January 1996 and was installed as Vice Chancellor in February 1997. On 8 October 2002, the university was granted the charter (Accreditation Credentials) by the
government of Kenya, making it the first private university to receive the credential under the new act and without being affiliated with any other university locally and abroad. == Academic programs ==