Move to elevate college opposed

By PETER OCHIENG

Elgeyo Marakwet, Kenya: The Commission of University Education (CUE) has moved to intervene in a tussle pitting leaders from Elgeyo Marakwet County and a local university over plans to elevate Tambach Teachers Training College to a university.

The university is planning to take over the institution and convert it into a constituent college.

CUE Chief Executive Officer David Some said the commission is willing and ready to facilitate the construction of another university in the region on condition that local leaders provide land for the project.

He challenged the leaders and other education stakeholders in the county to look for an alternative land where the university would be established when the deal is sealed.

“This is something we cannot ignore at all cost because we want our children to learn just like others in the country. We are ready to help in the establishment of a university so long as local leaders and education stakeholders look for 50 acres for the project in the area,” said Prof Some.

Some said it would be improper to oppose a worthy course meant to empower the youth with university education and asked the warring parties to give dialogue a chance.

He was speaking at Eldoret Polytechnic where he opened a one-day workshop for scholars drawn from various institutions of higher learning. Some was reacting to assertions by leaders in Elgeyo Marakwet County to the effect that they would oppose any move to convert the college into a university. The leaders, led by former Cabinet minister Nicholas Biwott and Marakwet East MP Bowen Kangogo said they were against the move by the university to take over the college, noting that a lot of resources had been used to establish the institution by retired President Daniel arap Moi.

Mr Biwott, who is the chairman of the college’s board of management, said the institution was the only teachers training college in the region, arguing that it should continue to run independently.

He pointed out that they will allow the university to enter into mutual collaboration with the college to offer degree programmes in education and other disciplines but not to convert it into their constituent college.