Kenya’s newest public university will be unveiled by the end
of this week.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to award Taita Taveta
University College (TTUC) with a charter at State House Nairobi, turning it
into a fully-fledged university.
The college had been a constituent of Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
“It is now official that the Government has agreed to
elevate the institution to a full university to make it autonomous. We will now
have our own development plans,” said Hamadi Boga, the TTUC principal.
Currently, Kenya has 23 public universities, 10 constituent
colleges and 17 private universities.
Prof Boga said the institution, which began in 2008 had met
the constitutional requirements for fully-fledged universities.
Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu termed Friday’s event
historic.
“The university has immense knowledge in mining and it will
contribute a lot to the socio-economic development of the county once it
becomes autonomous,” he said.
A group ranch donated 1,000 acres for the university’s
expansion.
Meanwhile, Ngerenyi Farmers Training Center in Mwatate
sub-county has also been converted into a constituent college of TTUC.
Mr. Mruttu said his administration and the university would
partner to set up a center for banana tissue culture seedlings and embryo
transfer technology. The university will be among the first institutions to
offer mining studies in the country.
MINING SCHOOL
According to Mining Cabinet Secretary Dan Kazungu, the
Government will sign a memorandum of understanding with the university to
establish the country’s first national mining school.
The university’s elevation comes at a time when local county
leaders have complained about poor examination results in the local schools and
the dismal number of students joining university.
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“In the past we have produced lawyers, engineers and doctors
among other professionals but they are not there anymore,” said Taveta Taveta
MP Naomi Shaban.
According to Boga, only 3 per cent of students at the university
come from the county.
“Out of 2,000 students at the institution, only 600 are from
the region; the rest are from upcountry,” he said.
Boga said the institution was expanding its courses to meet
the rising demand for engineering and geological professionals in the country.
He confirmed that the Government was putting up a Center of
Excellence in Mines, Fuel and Mineral Processing at the institution, adding
that local residents would also benefit from jobs and business opportunities.
“We will do business with the local community by offering
them jobs and awarding them tenders to supply goods and services,” he said.