The University of Dar es Salaam is the oldest and biggest public university in Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. The university became an affiliate of the University of East Africa in 1963, shortly after Tanzania gained its independence from the United Kingdom. In 1970, the University of East Africa split into three independent universities: Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and the University of Dar es Salaam. Since 1961, the University of Dar es Salaam has grown in terms of student intake, academic units, and academic programs.