The journey towards establishment of the first-ever public university in Baringo County has kicked off with the Commission for University Education (CUE) and a technical committee from Moi University visiting the region to assess progress.
The delegation this week met county government officials and Baringo Central MP Joshua Kandie, and toured Moi Teachers Training College, Seretunin, which will serve as a temporary campus for the new University College of Kabarnet, under Moi University.
Local leaders and residents in Baringo County had unanimously endorsed Kabarnet Town in Baringo Central to host the first-ever public university in the region.
The agreement was arrived at during a public participation held at the Kabarnet Social Hall, which brought together local leaders, professionals, the clergy, and residents.
CUE’s technical team has confirmed that the University College of Kabarnet will begin student enrollment at Moi Teachers Training College (TTC) Seretunin this September, after the official launch of construction at Kabarnet High School’s 50-acre land in May.
During their visit to Moi TTC, the CUE team conducted an assessment and outlined key recommendations.
The institution will operate as a constituent college of Moi University, with mandatory steps for its establishment, including proper signage along the road, development of a master plan, branding of the institution, transfer of title deeds to reflect the new name, and allocation of a budget for renovations.
Moi University officials, led by Moi University’s Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kiplagat Kotut, assured their readiness to implement the recommendations and confirmed plans to construct a science laboratory to enhance learning facilities.
The Directorate of Quality Assurance, Moi university explained that once it has met all the conditions, the University College of Kabarnet could finally graduate into a fully-fledged university.
“For now, it’s a proposed university college under mentorship. It is semi-autonomous and when it goes through that phase, even within one year and gets its own charter, then it becomes a fully-fledged university, and the name college will be done away and upgraded to a university,” explained an officer from the Directorate of Quality Assurance, Moi university who requested not to be named.
“Moi University can second some staff to get the college started, which will not take more than six months as per the law, within which the institution is expected to have constituted its council and hired its staff,” added the officer.
CUE Deputy Secretary, Prof. Urbanas Mutwiwa, said the justification for the University College of Kabarnet is based on its strategic location, wide catchment area, and the absence of a university in Baringo County.
Also, the institution is expected to promote higher education and socio-economic development while benefiting from stakeholder support and goodwill.
"With ample space for expansion, including the 50-acre land from Kabarnet High School, it is well-positioned for growth," said Prof Mutwiwa.
Kabarnet Boys High School has donated more than 50 acres of land for the construction of the institution, and locals agreed that the university be hosted in Kabarnet Town but start at the Moi Teachers College in Seretunin as the construction of the structures at the proposed site continues.
“The construction of the main campus is set to commence on a 50-acre site behind Kabarnet High School, but meanwhile, the first cohort of students, who will enroll in September this year, to be hosted at the Moi Teachers college in Seretunin as the construction in Kabarnet continues,” said MP Kandie.
Once complete, the institution is expected to be a hub for academic excellence, research, and innovation, transforming Baringo County and attracting new investments to the region.
Governor Benjamin Cheboi commended the progress of the establishment of the university, indicating that the dream was finally actualized more than a decade later.
“I am happy the establishment of the long-awaited university is on course. Moi Teachers College will host the university while construction goes on at the Kabarnet High School grounds, its official designated location,” said Governor Cheboi.
Former Director of Education Leah Rotich said the allocated land has a title deed, and the county education board has received a copy of the same, and the 50 acres are being given to the university.
“I am happy that for the first time since 2013, we are agreeing that the university college will start at Moi Teachers College and then transfer to Kabarnet town once the structures are complete. The college will remain a satellite campus later on. People from this region will also get employment once it is set up,” said Ms Rotich.
The establishment of a public university in Baringo County has dragged on since 2013 due to disagreements among political leaders and residents over its location.
A task force appointed by Governor Cheboi in October 2022 proposed that the institution be hosted at the Baringo Teachers’ College in Seretunin, Baringo Central.
The 18-member group, which was led by its chairman, Professor Chebutuk Rotich, was also supposed to develop consensus on the name of the proposed university and also form governance through which the academic and administrative affairs of the university are to be conducted.
Moi University was proposed by the group as the mentoring institution and in their recommendations, they approved the School of Education, School of Business and Economics, School of Information Sciences, and School of Nursing as the academic programs intended to be conducted at the university.
contribute to the advancement of knowledge, promotion of learning, cultural and social life,
and national economic and social development,” said the Prof Chebutuk-led group.
The proposed institution, they said, will also promote high standards in teaching and research, provide professional training, conduct relevant research, and facilitate lifelong learning.
Residents of Baringo South, led by community steering committee chairman William Tengecha, had long stood in the way of having a university in the region.
He said that they have been pushing for its establishment, but local leaders have not shown any commitment to their cause.
A section of leaders led by former Baringo central MP Sammy Mwaita have been fighting to have it located at Kapsoo in the constituency, while most residents wanted it located at Chemeron, where more than 1,100 acres were reserved for the project.
The late Baringo South MP Grace Kipchoim and Mwaita had each demanded its establishment in their constituencies.
Mr Mwaita wanted Baringo Technical Institute converted into a university, which did not go down well with the majority of residents who felt the move would spell doom on technical training for students who are not able to proceed to a university.
The move did not also go down well with late former president Daniel Moi who many times differed with a proposal to convert Baringo Technical College into a university, terming the move ill-advised and counterproductive.
The former head of state said he pioneered the technical college with the vision of transforming the lives of the youth opting to learn technical skills, and asked leaders supporting the move to keep off the institution that has now attracted thousands of learners from across the country.
