The origin of the University goes back to the early years of missionary work in East Africa. In 1875 the Church Missionary Society (CMS) founded a settlement for freed slaves at Frere Town, near Mombasa. In 1888, the Rev. E.A. Fitch began a Divinity class designed to offer some practical skills and Christian leadership training to these freed slaves. The Divinity class offered training to six teacher-evangelists who were ordained deacons. Thus began the training of Africans for the ordained ministry of the Christian Church.