Terms of Use

By using the Open University of Kenya (OUK) website, admissions and student portals, learning management system, email and other digital services ("the services"), you agree to these terms, our Privacy Policy and the University regulations that apply to you. If you do not agree, do not use the services.

These terms apply to everyone who uses the services, including students, staff, contractors, consultants, third-party service providers, researchers, collaborators and visitors.

Use the services only for lawful, authorised academic, administrative or other approved purposes. You must not:

• use the services for illegal, unethical or unauthorised activities, including academic dishonesty;
• try to get around security controls, gain unauthorised access or interfere with how systems work;
• do anything that could harm the security, availability or performance of University systems;
• install unauthorised software or applications on University devices;
• infringe intellectual property or copyright when using digital content.

Limited personal use of University systems is allowed if it does not affect their security or performance. Misuse may also be an offence under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018.

• Keep your sign-in details confidential and do not share your account.
• Use a strong password and change it when asked.
• Use multi-factor authentication where it is required.
• Sign out when you finish and do not leave devices unattended.
• Report any suspected misuse of your account at once to ict@ouk.ac.ke.
• You are accountable for actions taken with your account.

If your role gives you access to University or personal data, you must:

• access, use and share it only for authorised purposes;
• handle it according to its classification: public, internal, confidential or restricted;
• not store it on unauthorised devices or send it through insecure channels;
• keep the data under your control accurate and complete;
• dispose of it only through approved retention and destruction procedures.

• Connect remotely only through secure, approved channels such as a VPN.
• Personal devices used for University work must have up-to-date software and security protection.
• Protect your devices against unauthorised access.
• Report the loss or theft of any device holding University data at once.

Report any suspected or actual security incident, data breach, phishing attempt or unusual system behaviour promptly to ict@ouk.ac.ke, and cooperate with any investigation.

All course materials, publications and other content on OUK platforms are the intellectual property of the Open University of Kenya or its licensors, and are protected by copyright and intellectual property laws. Do not copy, republish or distribute them without permission, except as the law allows.

Our services may link to websites and services run by others. We are not responsible for their content or their privacy practices.

OUK shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising from the use of, or inability to use, our digital services.

If you break these terms, the University may:

• suspend or end your access to its systems;
• take disciplinary action under University regulations;
• take legal action in cases involving criminal activity or serious breaches.

These terms are governed by the laws of Kenya, including the Data Protection Act, 2019, the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018 and the Access to Information Act, 2016.

We may update these terms. The dates and revision history on this page show when they last changed, and continuing to use the services after a change means you accept the updated terms.

For questions about these terms, contact the Legal Affairs Office at legal@ouk.ac.ke.