Every year, tens of thousands of students complete their final secondary school exams in Mombasa. Majority of these students end up in various colleges in Mombasa, since university slots available in Kenya are very few compared to the number that completes KCSE. Fortunately, there are quite a good number of good colleges in Mombasa to cater for the majority who don’t make it to university.
This guide explores the best colleges in Mombasa, detailing their specialized courses. The aim is to help students who complete secondary school and who do not make straight entry into university make informed decisions for their academic and professional journey. Colleges in Kenya are generally approved to offer Diploma and Certificate courses while universities offer degree courses.
It’s important to state here clearly that failure to get a direct entry into university is neither a failure nor the end of opportunities in life. As you will find out as you read along, upon completion of your college Diploma or Certificate, there are many possibilities, including progressing to university. Furthermore, recently, demand for Diploma and certificate holders for employment in Kenya especially for skill courses is high. The trend towards success in the world today is to acquire skills which are backed by academic qualification and not the other way round.
Decide the course wish to pursue
This may look obvious but it’s not. Before you step into choosing a college, you need to decide which course you wish to pursue and your career line. If you were never guided on career before, following is basic guidance on choosing a career and therefore a course towards that career.
Note: You are most likely to succeed in a career or profession you like. Do not choose a career just because it pays more because you will rarely excel.
When it comes to choosing a course;
- Consider your passion, hobbies or interests. Think of what you like doing and you would enjoy doing as a job for the rest of your life.
- You should also consider possibilities of employment and self-employment in that career
- Consider the courses which align to the career possibilities you’ve chosen.
Once you have decided on the course or courses you wish to pursue, you can now start identifying colleges in Mombasa. You can talk to friends already in college, your parents or guardians who can help in identifying a number of good colleges in Mombasa. You can also do a Google search. Now you have decided on your course or courses of choice and you have a long list of colleges in Mombasa. From here, you now have to dive deeper to find out which are the best colleges in Mombasa and if they offer your courses of choice. Let’s work together to assist you make a good decision.
Guide to choosing the best colleges in Mombasa
Mombasa has very many colleges to choose from and can at times be tricky without reliable guidance. Following is a simple three step professional guide that will assist you in making the right choice in deciding which is the best college in Mombasa to join for your Diploma or certificate course.
Step 1
Before you make choices, the first critical step is to ensure that the college in Mombasa you wish to join is registered with TVET Authority (TVETA),
TVET Authority (TVETA) accredits all colleges operating in Kenya, whether private colleges or government colleges. Therefore if a college is not accredited by TVETA, it means it is not licensed to operate in Kenya and can be shut down any time. This also means that it is likely that the college does not meet minimum requirements in areas like quality assurance for it to be accredited by TVETA. It’s therefore very risky to join any college which is not accredited by TVETA Kenya
Visit the TVETA website , check each of the colleges in your list to find out if they are TVETA accredited. Knock down any Mombasa college in the list which is not accredited by TVETA. Narrow down the selection by listing only the TVET registered colleges from your initial wish list then move to the next step.
Step 2
From the list in Step 1, which includes only TVET registered colleges in Mombasa, check through the colleges and make a new list of only colleges that offer the course or courses you wish to pursue.
Step 3
Now that you have a lean list of colleges in Mombasa to choose from, you can visit their individual websites and check out for more information about them before you make a decision. If you live in Mombasa, you can decide to physically visit the colleges for further information.
From each of the colleges, you may want to find out information like;
a. For how long the college has been in existence in Mombasa. Generally, colleges that have existed for longer durations are more stable, reliable and trusted.
b . Location and accessibility. This is especially critical if you intend to take evening lessons
c. What physical and technical facilities the colleges have. Access to modern technologies such as Free Wi-Fi and eLearning platforms greatly enhance learning.
d. Fees charged. On this one, you have to be very careful. Some colleges in Mombasa market their courses with low fees but have other hidden charges which eventually make them very expensive. Ask that the fees be in writing and all charges be included.
e, From your narrowed down list, you can also search each of the colleges on google then go to their individual Google business profiles and read their reviews.
f. If you wish to join a college in Mombasa but you do not live in Mombasa, then you need to find out if the college has hostel facilities or if there are private hostel facilities near the college.
Best Colleges in Mombasa
To make it easier for you, we have researched and prepared the following list of the best Colleges in Mombasa and their website links;
Rifkins College https://www.rifkinscollege.com/
Kenya Medical Training Institute https://kmtc.ac.ke/
Kenya School of Government https://mombasa.ksg.ac.ke/
National Industrial Training Authority https://www.nita.go.ke/training-centres/nita-mombasa.html
Shanzu Teachers Training College https://shanzuttc.ac.ke/
Kenya National Coast Polytechnic https://kenyacoastpoly.ac.ke/
Bandari Maritime Academy https://bma.ac.ke/
Referring to the guide above, you can personally check each of the colleges and find out if they offer your desired course then make a good decision.
Universities in Mombasa
Universities generally offer undergraduate and graduate degree courses. Before you make choices, visit each university website and check if they are registered with Commission for university Education (CUE)
The following is a list of the best universities in Mombasa and their website links;
Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) https://www.tum.ac.ke/
Kenyatta University https://www.ku.ac.ke/campuses/msa/
Kenya Methodist University https://www.kemu.ac.ke/campus/mombasa-campus
Mount Kenya University https://www.mku.ac.ke/mku-mombasa-campus/
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology https://www.jkuat.ac.ke/campus/mombasa/
University of Nairobi https://mombasa.uonbi.ac.ke/basic-page/university-nairobi
I hope this information makes it easier for you to make a choice while searching for universities and colleges in Mombasa.