Education: Assembly recommends lease of 50 acres to a university

Joy as an education institution gets land 

Murang’a County Assembly has allowed the executive to lease 50 acres of land at Kenyatta Maririra Farmers Training Centre to Murang’a University of Technology (MUT) to establish agriculture and environmental science.

The assembly approved recommendation by the land committee that to lease the land located in Kigumo constituency to MUT for 99 years.

The committee chaired by Gerald Wambugu said the university furnished the executive with details pertaining need for land for the establishment of the agriculture campus.

In the lease agreement, the county government observed that the farm has 140 acres of land where only a third was underutilization.

 Wambugu also the Kamacharia MCA told the assembly that the farm has remained a public property since the pre-colonial era, where the colonial government had established a detention camp for Mau Mau fighters.

The university, Wambugu said, has set aside Sh400 million for use in establishing learning at the farm and directed to rename the institution Uhuru Kenyatta School of Agriculture and Environmental Studies.

“The university has also been directed to preserve the Mugumo tree shrine and Mau Mau screening room due to cultural and heritage significance,” said Wambugu.

 Supporting the motion, MCAs Amos Murigi (Kimorori) and Peter Githuka ( Mugumo ini) said the lease period should be reduced to 25 years and details of the partnership between the county government and MUT should be shared  with the assembly.

They said the university should have considered establishing agriculture in the lower parts of Gatanga where there is ample land for expansion.

Seconding the motion, Ithanga MCA Waweru Mwangi said the decision to establish a college in Kigumo was noble but lower parts that are marginalized in development should have been considered.

Murigi also Kimorori MCA asked the assembly to ensure the university embarks in employing non-skilled labour from the county, as the law provides.

  Murigi said there is enough land for expansion in the lower parts of the country when Kakuzi and Delmonte Limited companies await the renewal of land leases.

“There is information that the administration of MUT discriminates against the locals in employment and recommends people from a certain locality,” said Murigi.

Last year, Varsity Vice Chancellor Prof Dickson Nyariki during the donation of face masks to the Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria, he made an appeal to be assisted to establish agriculture and environment college.

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