The University was founded through Harambee spirit on 5th January, 1972, as Western College of Arts and Applied Sciences (WECO) under the stewardship of .the former fiery MP, Masinde Muliro. As chairman of the project executive committee, Muliro worked with Prof. Reuben J. Olembo (then Head, Department of Botany University of Nairobi) as secretary.
The establishment of the College was in response to the needs of the people of Western province to have a College which would provide a training ground for technical manpower requirements for the province and the nation. The College was also expected to inculcate a sense of self-help and self-reliance among its students and facilitate active participation of youth in national development.
The first batch of 24 students who were drawn from all parts of the country, joined on March 24, 1977, and enrolled for certificate and diploma in courses, which included mechanical and motor vehicle, electrical, electronic, agriculture, water, building, architecture, accounting, finance
etc. In December 2002, WECO became WUCST (Western University College of Science and Technology) after being elevated to a Constituent College of Moi University. Early 2007, President Kibaki elevated WUCST to a full university by assenting to a Bill which also changed the name to MMUST
We also have Centre for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CDMHA), Institute of Graduate Studies, Research and Extension (IGSRE), School of Open Learning and Continuing Education (SOLACE), Science and Technology Park and Industrial Linkages (STPIL and also the Privately Sponsored Students’ Programme. CDMHA in particular offers unique programmes perhaps not yet witnessed before in many of the country’s institutions of higher learning, private or public. The programmes include Forensic Science, Banking Fraud and Money Laundering Investigations; Corruption Research, Monitoring and Evaluation; Corruption Prevention Methods. Others are Audit and Planning Logistics, Disaster Preparedness and Engineering Reconstruction; Conflict Management and Resolution etc.
Students pursuing respective careers can expect to achieve either a certificate, diploma or degree up to the highest level, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Statistics, or Pure Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, Disaster Preparedness and Engineering Management, Disaster Management and Sustainable Development, Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance and Conflict Resolution Management.
The School of Open Learning and Continuing Education (SOLACE) offers short and tailor-made courses for duration of 3-4 weeks in Customer Care, Effective Business Management, Curriculum Analysis and Interpretation, Computer Studies, Community Mobilization and Educational Programmes, Programme Evaluation, Setting and Processing Examinations and Curriculum Leadership, Fund-raising.
