Stakeholder involvement in university curriculum development: A case study of horticulture programme in Public Universities in Kenya

The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of horticulture sub-sector stakeholders on their involvement in horticulture curriculum development in public universities in Kenya. For this purpose, an exploratory research design utilizing both quantitative and qualitative approaches was employed. A sample of 43 horticulture stakeholders were selected using a simple random sampling technique. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire was divided into two sections. The first part of the questionnaire required the respondents to provide responses on their perceived level of involvement in curriculum development while the second part required them to give suggestions on how the horticulture curriculum offered by public universities in Kenya can be improved. The findings of the study revealed that generally, the horticulture industry players were not involved in curriculum development. Consequently, the universities have ended up producing graduates not well prepared for the job market. It was further revealed that incorporating strategies such as stakeholders’ involvement in curriculum development, instilling a research culture, making the curriculum more practical, enhancing farm visits, and offering internship opportunities to students can tremendously improve the quality of the horticulture curriculum offered by public universities in Kenya. Based on the study findings it is recommended that Universities should endeavor to involve stakeholders in curriculum development and orient their curriculum to be more practical in order to produce graduates that can demonstrate professional attributes required by the job market and be able to contribute to the development of the horticulture sub-sector in Kenya.