Three governors in the North Rift region have embarked on a push to have public universities established in their counties, pledging to work with the national government to hasten the process.
Besides enhancing access to higher education, the plans by governors Wisley Rotich (Elgeyo Marakwet), Benjamin Cheboi (Baringo) and George Natembeya (Trans Nzoia) will also boost the local economies.
In Elgeyo Marakwet, Mr Rotich has formed a 15-member task force to look into the possibility of upgrading Tambach Teachers College and renaming it Kerio Valley University College. The task force comprises academicians from Moi University, University of Eldoret and Egerton University.
The team is tasked with evaluating the technical inspection report published by the Commission of University Education (CUE) in August 2016, hold public meetings on the establishment of the university as required by law, and assess the readiness of Tambach Teachers Training College to host the proposed Kerio Valley University College.
It’s also expected to ascertain the availability of land and viability of its location and make proposals for the way forward.
“This committee will be guided by the Universities Act 2012, Education Act 2014, Tvet Act 2013, among other legal statutes, and is expected to submit its report within the next 30 days,” Governor Rotich said. Committee members include former CUE boss Prof David Some, Egerton University don Prof Paul Kimurto and Prof Changach from Moi University.
In Baringo County, Mr Cheboi has held talks with academicians from various universities on the establishment of a university in the region, while Trans Nzoia’s Natembeya has pledged to ensure a public university is put up in the county.
The governors’ push seeks to emulate other counties in the region that host institutions of higher learning.
Uasin Gishu County hosts two public universities—Moi University and the University of Eldoret—alongside a number of private and faith-based universities. Nandi County hosts Koitalel University College while Turkana County is home to the Turkana University College. Baringo County has been locked in a stalemate on the location of the new university since 2015.
In 2015, Baringo County Assembly passed a motion to establish a university at Chemeron. Then Minority Leader Wesley Lekakimon moved the motion. Choice of location, however, sparked a big public debate, with divisions occurring as many pushing to have it in their localities.
More than five university campuses in the region have been closed down within five years, all blamed on lack of political goodwill. The most recent casualty was Kisii University’s campuses in Baringo and West Pokot counties.
The Baringo campus was closed on May 1, 2018 with over 1,000 students transferred to the university’s main campus in Kisii as well as to its Eldoret, Kapenguria and Kericho campuses.
Uganda-based Bugema University, Mount Kenya University, Egerton University and the Kenya Institute of Management are among the institutions that have shut down their campuses in Kabarnet for similar reasons.
In West Pokot, the closure of Kisii University’s Kapenguria campus shattered the dreams of hundreds of learners and left many workers jobless. CUE shut down the eight-year-old institution was early this year citing failure to comply with the law.
The campus, which was started in 2014, was initially located within a commercial property in Makutano town. It later shifted to a 72-acre parcel in Keringet, seven kilometres from Makutano, in a property developed by former Governor Simon Kachapin to act as an agricultural training centre for farmers.
However, owing to the considerable distance from the town and the logistical constraints, many students dropped out.
The Covid-19 outbreak that led to the adoption of online learning amid technology access and adaptability challenges complicated matters for the university.
