The United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) has announced it will partially reopen the institution to coincide with the start of the Summer (May 2021) semester Monday.

Vice Chancellor Prof Paul Zeleza noted that USIU had put in place a number of protocols to facilitate on-campus academic programmes earlier disrupted by Covid-19 pandemic.

USIU said it had invested more than Sh63.5 million to maintain and expand its e-learning infrastructure in the current academic year and an extra Sh30 million to boost e-resources at the library.

To respond to the rising demand for online programs, the university launched the Online Master of Business Administration (MBA), the first program of its kind in Kenya and the region.

“At the beginning of the pandemic last year, USIU-Africa was able to pivot to online learning immediately following the announcement of the first COVID-19 case in the country, as a result of the robust IT infrastructure that it has put in place to ensure that students continue learning remotely. Students were able to continue with their studies uninterrupted, including doing their examinations online,” said Prof Zeleza.

Prof Paul Zeleza. PHOTO/USIU

He added, “In the upcoming semester, we will adopt a three-pronged approach to learning through a mix of face to face, online and blended learning (a mix of both online and face to face delivery). With the support of our faculty, non-teaching and student fraternity, we are on course to guaranteeing a seamless academic programmes delivery online and at our campus facilities.”

Prof Zeleza said the institution was well prepared to welcome more than 3,000 students to campus in the next semester while strictly adhering to the government’s Coronavirus protocols.