President William Ruto has announced plans to establish a new university in Emurua Dikirr, Narok County, as part of the government’s development programme in the area.
The proposed institution will cost an estimated Sh1.2 billion and will be named after the late Johana Ng’eno, the former Emurua Dikirr MP who died in a helicopter crash earlier this year.
Ruto made the announcement on Wednesday, August 26, during his development tour of Narok County.
What Ruto said about the university
According to the President, the government has set aside Sh1.2 billion for the construction of the institution after residents asked for a university to be established in the constituency.
Ruto said the university would serve students from Emurua Dikirr, Narok County and other parts of Kenya.
The institution will be named after Ng’eno, who represented Emurua Dikirr in Parliament before his death.
Why the university is being established
The proposed university is expected to expand access to higher education for young people in Emurua Dikirr and surrounding areas.
Ruto said the project would provide an opportunity for local students to pursue university education closer to home while also serving learners from other parts of the country.
The announcement comes as the government continues to invest in education infrastructure across different parts of Kenya.
Sh180 million for KMTC hostels
During the same visit, Ruto announced another education-related investment in Emurua Dikirr.
The government has allocated Sh180 million for the construction of hostels at the Emurua Dikirr campus of the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC).
The President said construction of the hostels had been launched and would help improve accommodation facilities for students at the institution.
The two projects are expected to strengthen the area’s capacity to accommodate students pursuing higher and medical education.
University to honour late Johana Ng’eno
The decision to name the proposed university after Ng’eno comes months after his death.
The former MP died when a helicopter crashed in the Mosop area of Nandi County. The aircraft was reportedly travelling from Endebes to Mosoriot when it went down at Kabiet sub-location.
Ng’eno was later buried on March 6, with President Ruto and other senior government officials attending his funeral.
The proposed university will therefore also serve as a memorial to the former legislator, while becoming a new centre for higher education in the constituency.
Ruto’s Narok development tour
The university announcement is part of Ruto’s wider development tour of Narok County.
During the tour, the President visited several constituencies and announced various government projects.
The proposed university and KMTC hostel project add to the government’s focus on education infrastructure as it seeks to increase access to learning facilities outside Kenya’s major urban centres.
