Baringo finally gets its first university
Rift Valley
By
Yvonne Chepkwony
| Jun 17, 2025
Baringo County has finally gotten its first university after the Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Ogamba, gazetted Kabarnet University College.
The university is currently hosted at the Moi Teachers Training College as a constituent college of Moi University.
According to the state, the first intake will be in September.
The Legal Gazette Notice Order 2025 came after a protracted battle between local leaders on the location of the university.
“The CS for Education, in consultation with the Commission for University Education, makes the following Order Kabarnet University College Order, 2025,” read the gazette notice in part.
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The notice further stated that the CS will appoint the first Principal of the University in an acting capacity for six months on the recommendation of the Council of the University.
The notice indicated that Kabarnet University College shall be transitional only if the university may initiate the necessary administrative and legal measures to ensure that the university College becomes an independent university.
Initially, politicians in the area were divided between Chemeron in Baringo South and Kabarnet Town in Baringo Central as the location of the institution.
They finally settled on Kabarnet town after President William Ruto's intervention.
The college will be established on 70 acres of public land in Kabarnet town, which has been lying idle.
Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi has welcomed the news, saying the establishment of the university will play a transformative role in driving academic excellence, research, and socio-economic growth in the county.
“This significant development not only lays the legal foundation for the institution’s establishment but also reflects our commitment to expand access to quality education,” Cheboi said.
Soon after he was elected governor to serve a second term, Cheboi formed an 11-member task force consisting of academicians to collect views on the location of the university.
The task force recommended that the Moi Teachers College in Seretunin, Baringo County to host Baringo University College with the mentorship of Moi University.