About Departments

Professor Frederick Gravenir, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Research, Innovation and Outreach (Second from the right) with members of staff during the Korean photo exhibition.

The Director of the Korean Language and Culture Centre, Mr. Kim Eungsu, directs members of staff during the Korean photo exhibition on 24 February 2017

Professor Christian Olivier from the Université de la Réunion (facing camera) consults with fellow trainers during the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) – Indian Ocean Regional Postgraduate seminar on 23 February 2017

Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) – Indian Ocean Regional Postgraduate seminar participants take a break during the training

The Departmental French Resource Centre

Members of staff follow proceedings during the official commissioning of the Francophone Digital Centre

The Departmental Japanese Language Laboratory

The Departmental German Resource Centre

Students in a classroom session at the Departmental Korean Language and Culture Centre

One of the postgraduate students presenting her research proposal in one of the language laboratories

Students follow proceedings during the official commissioning of the Francophone Digital Centre that was funded through partnership between Kenyatta University and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie

Participants in the Regional Graduate seminar pose for a group photograph

The Regional Graduate Seminar in session in the Francophone Digital Centre

The first CNFp steering committee meeting in session at the Digital Centre on 1st February 2017

The CNFp Steering Committee Chairperson, Dr. Milkah Chokah makes her remarks during the official Commissioning of the Francophone Digital Centre

Kenyatta University management led by the acting DVC (Administration) Professor Wangari Mwai (eighth from left) and staff members join guests for a group photo

AUF Indian Ocean Region Director, Mr. Phillipe Bataille (left), Chairman Foreign Languages’ Department, Dr. Vincent Were (centre) and DVC (Administration) Professor Wangari Mwai (right) during the official commissioning of the Digital Centre on 1st February, 2017.

The chief guest, the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie – Indian Ocean Region Director, Mr. Phillipe Bataille and the Linguistic Attaché at the French Embassy in Kenya, Mr. Johann Robinet follow proceedings during the official opening of the Francophone Digital Centre

Background
The department of Foreign Languages was established in 1987 when the then department of Languages and Linguistics was split into three. Since then, it has steadily grown in terms of number of students, staff programmes and partnerships.
Statement
Languages of national and international coverage play an increasingly important role in the areas of business, diplomacy, culture and academics. In keeping with the Kenyatta University mission and vision, the Department of Foreign Languages is committed to providing quality education and training that are competitive and responsive to global needs. Consequently, the department continues to ensure that its programmes are tailored to meet the dynamic needs of its students and other stakeholders.
Vision
The vision of the department of Foreign Languages is to become the gateway into the international arena by providing the opportunity to Kenyans to communicate with the world.
Mission
The specific mission of the department is the attainment of academic excellence in Foreign Languages, to train Teachers of Foreign Languages in Kenya and multilingual professionals for the Global workplace.
Objectives

To equip students with reading, writing and speaking skills in order to empower them to communicate fluently, to teach, and to do research in French.
To expose students to cultures of different people such as French, German, Japanese, Korean among others.
To provide students with skills that will give them flexibility in their search for employment in the national and international job market.

Key Milestones
The department is endowed with qualified and experienced staff drawn from both within and outside the country.
Through memoranda signed between Kenyatta University and other learning institutions of international standing, the department collaborates with University of Stendhal Grenoble 3, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, Alliance Française (Nairobi), Goethe Institute, the German Academic Exchange Programme (DAAD), the Japan foundation, the Japanese Language and Cultural Centre and the Korean Language and Culture Centre among others.
Besides collaborating with various learning institutions, through the university, the department works closely with foreign embassies in Kenya such as the Embassy of France, the Embassy of South Korea, the Embassy of Japan and the Embassy of Italy. Most members of staff have been trained by governments represented by these embassies.
Over the years, the department has expanded its facilities to include: The Francophone partner Digital Centre, Language Laboratories, French Resource Centres, German Resource Centre, Japanese Resource Centre and Korean Language and Culture Resource Centre.
Courtesy of the Department of Foreign languages, Kenyatta University is the first and so far the only Anglophone University in the region that is a member of the Agency of Francophone Universities (AUF). By virtue of this status, the University hosts the Francophone partner Digital Centre that was officially commissioned on 1st February 2017 by the AUF Indian Ocean regional director, Mr. Phillipe Bataille.

Details: 08 May 2017

Dr. Vincent Were
Chairperson
Department of Foreign Languages

Foreign Languages

New and Events

French Classes

Kenyatta University students and staff willing to take French classes offered by Alliance Francaise can take them within Kenyatta University at their own cost. This will lessen the cost of...

Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF)

BackgroundThe Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) is an association that brings together about 800 institutions of higher learning and research in more than 100 countries in the world. Kenyatta...

DATE	DAY	TIME	FUCTION	VENUE
11/03/15	Wednesday	10.00am	Departmental meeting	Rm12
26/03/15	Thursday	10.00am	Staff/Student Committee meeting	Rm 12
23/04/15	Thursday	10.00am	Staff/Student Committee meeting	Rm 12
28/04/2015	Tuesday	10.00am	Departmental Meeting	Rm 12
13/05/15	Wednesday	10.00am	Departmental Meeting	Rm 12
28/05/2015	Thursday	10.00am	Staff/Student Committee meeting	Rm 12
10/06/15	Wednesday	10.00am	Departmental Meeting	Rm 12
30/06/15	Thursday	10.00am	Staff/Student Committee meeting	Rm 12
3^rd week of July		10.00am	Staff/Student Committee meeting	Rm 12
2^nd week of August		10.00am	Departmental Meeting	Rm 12
17/09/15	Thursday	10.00am	Staff/Student Committee meeting	Rm 12
14/01/2016	Thursday	10.00am	Departmental Meeting	Rm 12
11/02/2016	Thursday	10.00am	Staff/Student Committee meeting	Rm 12
16/03/2016	Wednesday	10.00am	Staff/Student Committee meeting	Rm 12
30/03/2016	Wednesday	10.00am	Departmental Meeting	Rm 12

Department of Foreign Languages