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How many students have graduated from KEWI to date?
Between 2009 and 2018, a total of 3,518 students graduated from KEWI. Of these, 70% are male and remainder female.
What is the institute’s student capacity?
We’ve a total of 2000 students in our four campuses. The student population is spread as follows.
• Nairobi campus – 750 students
• Chiakariga campus (Tharaka Nithi County) – 600
• Kitui Campus – 350
• Kisumu campus – 300
Do you get full enrollment?
We advertise programmes before start of every semester. Water engineering programmes attract excess students than other programmes and this fills the enrollment gap.
3,518 graduates of KEWI
(2009 – 2018)
Give us a short description of each course you offer.
KEWI offers training programmes leading to the award of the KEWI Higher Diploma in Water Engineering, as well as Diploma and Certificate in Water Engineering, Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Water Resources Technology and Management; and Water and Wastewater Laboratory Technology. Artisan courses are offered in Water Operators Courses, with specialisations in Water Supply, Meter Reading and Sewerage Operations; as well as Plumbing and Pipe fitting. A course in Drilling Operations and Management for various skill entry levels has been rolled out in the last one year. All KEWI courses equip learners with entrepreneurial skills, customer care and communication skills.
Long Term Courses
Diploma in Water Engineering
The Diploma in Water Engineering takes three academic years with two graded industrial attachment sessions in the third semester of the second and third academic years, respectively, each lasting 12 weeks. The syllabus has been developed on a competency-based approach. The programme equips the trainee with knowledge and skills on design, drawing, measurement, estimating and costing, construction, operation and maintenance, of water supply infrastructure, wastewater infrastructure, hydraulic structures, electro-mechanical units and onsite sanitation facilities. KEWI graduates are therefore able to design, construct, operate and maintain water and wastewater related works.
Certificate in Water Engineering
The certificate in Water Engineering takes two academic years with one graded field attachment session in the third semester of the second year lasting for 12 weeks. The syllabus has been developed on a competency based approach. This programme equips the trainee with skills and knowledge requisite in supervision, construction, operation and maintenance of water supply infrastructure, wastewater management infrastructure and onsite sanitation facilities.
Diploma and Certificate course in Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Diploma and certificate course in Irrigation and Drainage Engineering courses were established in 2009 at Chiakariga campus and later at Kitui campus to address the knowledge gap that existed in the irrigated agriculture sector. The course was designed to impart knowledge and skills in irrigated agriculture development and management through competency based training approach. The main topics offered include sources of water for irrigation, design and installation of surface and subsurface irrigation water application methods, pumping plant and irrigation water quality management.
Due to the paramount role irrigation is playing in making the country food secure, the Israeli government partnered with KEWI among other institutions in offering our diploma and certificate graduates advanced one year intensive course in irrigation water application and management in Israel. The students are practically exposed to the best technologies in the world of irrigated agriculture.
The graduates can be self-employed or seek employment from relevant public and private water sectors organisations.
Plumbing and pipe fitting course
The plumbing and pipe fitting course is a one year practical course that equips a trainee with skills on reading drawings and specifications to determine layouts of water supply, wastewater and venting systems and detecting faults in plumbing appliances. It further gives the trainee skills on installing, repair, maintenance of residential, commercial, irrigation, industrial plumbing fixtures and systems.
Water Resources Technology and Management
The course equips student with competences in both groundwater and surface water management including groundwater resource exploration and exploitation, catchment protection, hydro-metrological measurements and water quality management. The course incorporates soft skills to enable graduates interact with Water Resources Users Associations and communities in sharing the water resources as a basic human right within statutory and other legislative frameworks.
Water and Wastewater Laboratory Technology
This is a hands-on course for the water quality sampling, testing and reporting. Students are exposed to the theoretical principles and applications underlying analytical techniques for physical or chemical and microbiological water quality for various uses including domestic, agricultural, industrial uses as well as discharge into public sewers and the environment. Emphasis is laid on compliance of water and wastewater with national water quality standards. The trainees also have a sound grasp of water treatment technologies to obtain required quality for various uses.
Diploma in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
The Diploma in ICT is a two year programme that is developed to address the industry needs. It is structured in a way to address the skills gap in the several areas of specialisation like databases, networks management, systems analysis and solutions architecture, development of applications and multimedia. The diploma in ICT gives skills that are immediately applicable in developing solutions and improving service delivery in the water industry, as well as ground the students in the discipline of computer science, information and communication technology and information systems.
Short Term Courses
Short courses at KEWI take duration of one to three months and focus mainly on water sector personnel grouped under four water industry personnel levels – governance, management, technical, and support and administration. The purpose of these courses is to address attitude change, skills gaps, emerging water sector needs and new technologies.
Some of the short courses offered include.
- Non-revenue water management
- Hydro-geological survey and drilling operation
- Operation & maintenance of wastewater treatment & disposal systems
- Operation & maintenance of water supply treatment plants
- Metering and installation of consumer service connection
- Application of geographic information system (GIS) in support of water utilities mapping
- Public private partnership for the water sector
- Application of Earth Observation and GIS in support of integrated water resources management.
- Customer care and public relations
- Microbial water quality testing and standards
- Chemical water quality testing and standards
Apart from the scheduled short courses above, KEWI develops tailor-made capacity development and training courses that respond to specific needs that water sector organizations may have at any given time.
Other Programmes
Mechanical Production Unit (MPU)
The Mechanical Production Unit is workshop based in Industrial area, Nairobi and is well equipped with machines, tools and equipment to enable regular students and short course trainees to acquire relevant skills on installations, inspections, repairs and rehabilitation of pumping and power plant.
The Geo-information Centre
The Geo-Information Centre in KEWI is funded by the Ministry of Water and Sanitation and is a one stop centre for training, research and consultancy on utilisation of freely available satellite data and freely available computer applications in support of water resources management.
