[4] Proposals for the establishment of a technical institute in Nairobi were put forward in the Willoughby Report published in 1949.

[5] The objective was to establish a technical college in Nairobi which would offer education and training at the technician and semi-professional levels for the three East African territories of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika.

While Uganda and Tanganyika established technical institutes in Kampala and Dar es Salaam to prepare candidates to join RTCEA, Kenya opted to introduce class streams under the name Kenya Technical Institute (KTI) at RTCEA.

[6][7] By 1960 it had been decided that the Royal Technical College of East Africa should expand its mandate to offer degrees.

[8] As the college had its mandate expanded, it was no longer possible to continue accommodating the students of the Kenya Technical Institute due to pressure on space.

It is located in the Nairobi central business district opposite the Times Tower and along Haile Selassie Avenue next to the City Square Post Office.