Kumi University was founded by Korean Missionary couple Hyeong Lyeol Lyu and Mrs. Minja Lee in 1999. It developed from Africa Leaders’ Training Institute (ALTI), which was established in 1996 to meet the demands of the local community.

The University was founded with this aim: To provide quality, affordable, community tailored, Christian based higher education.

The Kumi University Foundation was approved by Uganda Government in 2004 with document No. 66491. The University then acquired the operational License the same year with National Council For Higher Education NCHE (UI..PL..002 NCHE). Kumi University is established in the scenic country side of TESO’s spectacular inselbergs, next to the famous Old Stone Age Site Nyero Rock Paintings in Kumi District in the Eastern part of Uganda.