Maseno University building Sh700 million hostel

Maseno University Vice Chancellor Julius Nyabundi inspects progress of construction. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Maseno University is building a Sh700 million student hostel to ease the institution's accommodation challenges.

The project meant to accommodate 1,500 students will be completed in two years.

Maseno University this year received 4,633 Government-sponsored students, up from 2,700 admitted last year. This was the largest number of admissions besides University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Two contractors

Vice Chancellor Julius Nyabundi said the university has engaged two contractors to speed up construction.

Prof Nyabundi said the Government approved the project funding through bank loans.

“Provision of student accommodation is not a primary concern of universities but we are alive to the accommodation challenges and we try our best to mitigate, essentially avoiding a crisis,” he said during orientation of freshers at the university on Friday.

Nyabundi said the university will accommodate the freshers in its 4,500 bed-capacity hostels in main campus. About 90 per cent of the 4,633 students are expected to report.

The university is also sinking funds into a Sh480 million four-storey tuition block with a capacity of 5,400 students that is 90 per cent complete, according to the VC.

It is one of the infrastructures the university is banking on to eliminate lecture hall crisis.

Common units

The facility, whose construction began in July 2017, will have modern halls for use by large groups of students taking common units.

It will also have two laboratories, adding to a recently completed microbiology laboratory complex serving the School of Medicine and related faculties.

"In the next phase of development, we want to create distinct schools within the university as part of efforts to improve quality of training and also boost our organisation as an institution of higher learning,” said the VC.

With Government capitation dwindling, VC said university was keen to have key projects going on even with the little funds available.

“We have realised that with a decrease in the number of self-sponsored students and the decrease in those going for certificates and diplomas in favour of TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training), we have to focus on research to enhance our revenue base,” he said.

The university recently patented its research on stubborn maize killing striga weed as well as innovations on alternative energy.