MKU signs new hostels deal with South Africa firm

Mount Kenya University's main campus in Thika. The institution has signed a memorandum of understanding with a South African property developer to put up a 3,000-bed ultra-modern hostel at the campus. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Kabusha Investments (PTY) Ltd, trading as Stag African, is expected to design, finance and build a 3,000-bed ultra-modern hostel at its Thika Campus.
  • The university will “provide Stag African with the site layout diagram(s) of the proposed site(s) for the development”, all the necessary documentation and land for the development.

Mount Kenya University (MKU) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a South African property developer to put up a 3,000-bed ultra-modern hostel at its Thika Campus.

Kabusha Investments (PTY) Ltd, trading as Stag African, is expected to design, finance and build the facility.

The company will then operate the hostel for a period the two parties will agree upon and later transfer it to the university. The company is based in Cape Town.

DEVELOPMENT

The university will “provide Stag African with the site layout diagram(s) of the proposed site(s) for the development”, all the necessary documentation and land for the development.

In a memo to the university council chairperson, the board of directors chairman Simon Gicharu said a team from Stag African will visit MKU between August 12-18 and tour the project site as well as sign the venture agreement. Officials from the university toured South Africa last month “to lay a foundation for the joint venture partnership”.

Education Secretary George Magoha supported for the project, saying it was in line with the Big Four agenda.

“In recognition of the shortage(s) of the student accommodation needed, the Government of Kenya fully supports initiatives taken to address the underlying shortfalls,” reads a letter to Vice-Chancellor Stanley Waudo seen by the Sunday Nation.

Mount Kenya University (MKU) says it is considering setting up e-campuses in Angola to tap growing government-to-government links between Nairobi and Luanda.

At the Kenya-Angola Trade and Investment Conference 2019 last week, Dr Vincent Gaitho, vice-chairman of MKU, said the institution wants to ride on recent bilateral policies that have started to open up African markets.

E-LEARNING CENTRES

“There are huge opportunities that remain untapped between the two countries,” he told Nation after the conference. Top industry leaders from Kenya and Angola met in Luanda at the conference for what they called “intelligence gathering” on markets.

Though Dr Gaitho did not specify on timelines, he indicated that MKU is discussing with Angolan authorities the possibility of setting up e-learning centres and physical campuses, as well as language exchange programmes for students from both sides to learn English, Portuguese and Kiswahili.

“Students will be encouraged to break geographical distances and pursue studies in MKU programmes in Angola.

Through education, we can interlink Africa and make the continent competitive in the globalised world,” he said.