Garissa University College(GUC) was established by a legal notice No. 116, The Garissa University College order 2011. The university college is located in Garissa town 365 Kilometers from Nairobi City on a 85- acre arable land on the shores of river Tana. Against this background, GUC being the only public university in the northern Kenya, it is honored to be at the service of the local community in research based on sustainable agriculture, livestock husbandry, dryland agriculture and agri-business enterprise.
The Government of Kenya upgraded the Garissa Teachers Training College to Garissa University College as a constituent college of Moi University. One of the principle objectives of upgrading this college was to provide opportunity for more students to access university education. Under this new status, GUC was granted the powers to offer university level education and training while at the same time retaining its traditional mandate as a middle-level college offering Diploma and certificates in various fields. It has come a long way and in remaining true to its founding philosophy, will offer ‘an oasis of innovation’, a phrase it has adopted as its motto, and which is reflected in its dynamic spirit of a modern university of technological processes and development
The college also engages to undertake research with a keen sense of applicability in solving immediate societal problems. Innovation shall be a major guiding factor in research at GUC and shall also be expected to influence teaching and learning.
GUC intends to impart to its students the highest state of knowledge and practical skills. It also seeks to enable young people to find their orientation in a complex and rapidly changing world and to stimulate an understanding of technical and cultural values so that, upon completing their studies, they will not only be highly qualified professional people but also responsible members of society.
The college offers a wide range of specialized and professional courses.GUC has a modern library and well equipped laboratories. GUC started off with training in the Arts, Education and Business fields which are consistent with the need for university education in Kenya. The training in these fields would essentially be supported by programs in the basic sciences