Governor Isaac Ruto in court to stop varsity construction

Governor Isaac Ruto has moved to court seeking orders to halt the construction of a university in the county.

The governor is opposed to the construction of a Sh500 million university in Bomet town.

Mr Ruto’s move deepens the controversy surrounding the establishment of the university.

The governor sought the injunction saying his office was not involved in the allocation of the land to Moi University for the construction of its constituent college.

In an application before judge Martin Muya, Ruto says the land in question was not available for allocation, as it has been committed for other use.

DUMPING SITE

The governor said part of the land was a dumping site, adding that the National Land Commission had not been involved in the allocation of land to the university.

The construction of the university, which is expected to be presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta, has since been withheld pending the court outcome.

An imposing plaque and a foundation stone that were expected to be unveiled by the President on April 23 at the site have been fenced off.

Local leaders have, however, come out to plead with the Governor to consider withdrawing the case for the sake of public interest.

Leading the calls, Bomet Central MP Ronald Tonui accused the governor of selfish interests. “Ruto is on record opposing the construction of the university in Bomet town and he has proved his word by moving to court in a bid to scuttle the development,” he told The Standard through phone.

Mr Tonui said it was unfortunate for Ruto to move to court to try and block the construction works yet he has been at the forefront attacking the Jubilee administration for alleged skewed developments in the South Rift region.

The legislator expressed concerns that as the case drags on in court, the Sh400 million that had been set aside by the Treasury for the construction of the varsity would go un-utilised.