History
Pwani University (PU) and the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA), Germany, have built a strong partnership spanning more than a decade. What began as a shared vision has grown into a sustainable partnership built on academic exchange, joint projects, and intercultural learning.
Explore the timeline below to discover the key milestones that have shaped this partnership.
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2014: Women Empowerment Initiative
The collaboration began with a joint effort with a local women's group in Kilifi, the Uwezo Development Initiative (UDI), focusing on vulnerable and marginalised women. This project, known as Women Empowerment in Kenya (WEIKE), continues to this day.
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2018: Start of Student Exchanges with Project ADDI
The two universities collaborated on the Adaptive Digital Learning Systems (ADDI) project (2018-2021), which was funded by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung (BWS plus) and focused on student and staff exchanges. The project involved 5 exchange cycles with 13 students, and the implementation of the exchange platform karlifi.org.
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2020: Virtual Trainings for Kenyan Students
As the COVID-19 pandemic brought physical exchanges to a halt, virtual courses on various topics in technical communication were offered to Kenyan students in the summer of 2020. This marked the start of virtual teaching within the partnership.
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2021: Start of the Trinational Project VIEL
Given the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on traditional exchange, the Virtual International Exchange Learning (VIEL) project was initiated to enable virtual exchange and became a trinational initiative with the University of Limerick, Ireland, joining as a partner. Funded by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung (BWS plus) VIEL (2021-2025) hosted virtual workshops and events on technical communication with 7 exchange rounds, involving 45 students from the three universities and 211 students participating in the workshops.
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2022: Project MCM - First Master's in Technical Communication in Kenya
After a period of strategic planning to strengthen ties between PU and HKA, the MCM project transitioned into its implementation phase in 2022. With funding secured from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, the project focuses on establishing the very first master’s program within the discipline of technical communication in Kenya at Pwani University (School of Humanities and Social Sciences).
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2022: MCM Pilot Phase
The Masters in Communication and Media (MCM) started with a two-semester pilot phase, offering five core modules as a supplement to the students' regular studies. 11 participants from various Master’s programs took part in these specialized courses, gaining essential skills in the field of communication and media.
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2023: Start of the 1st MCM cohort
MCM enrolled 8 students in September 2023 for its first cohort in the 2023/2024 academic year, then 7 students for the second cohort in 2024/2025, and 7 for the third cohort in 2025/2026.
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2025: Accrediation of MCM by CUE
The MCM curriculum achieved a major milestone by receiving approval and accreditation from the Commission of University Education in 2025.
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2026: MCM is growing
Lectures are ongoing, offering market-focused courses designed to produce globally competitive graduates. These courses are delivered by a team of international experts from Kenya, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Denmark, and Canada. The program also benefits from an Advisory Board comprising academic and industry experts in Communication and Media, who enhance the curriculum and provide valuable insights to prepare students for the international job market.
