The County Government of Kakamega, in collaboration with the national government, is making significant strides in upgrading Eregi Teachers Training College (ETTC) to university status.
This development follows a high-level meeting at Mukumu, where Kakamega Governor Fernandez Barasa met with Kakamega Diocese Bishop Reverend Joseph Obanyi—under whose jurisdiction the college operates—alongside Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali, Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe, and a delegation from Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST).
The MMUST team included Professor Peter Bukhala, Acting Vice Chancellor for Planning, Research, and Innovation, and Professor Samuel Kubasu, who represented Vice-Chancellor Professor Solomon Shibairo. The stakeholders convened to assess and review the progress of the institution’s elevation to university status.
During the event, Governor Barasa emphasized that the institution’s transformation would create employment and business opportunities for the people of Ikolomani and Kakamega County and attract students and professionals from across the country, further boosting the region’s economic and academic profile.
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“This is a great opportunity that we should embrace. Upgrading ETTC into a fully-fledged university will allow us to offer various courses to students from the region and beyond. We are working closely with the national government to make this dream a reality,” said Governor Barasa.
He reiterated that the upgrade aligns with the county’s broader development plans. He assured residents that, once operationalized, the university would introduce specialized courses, reducing the need to outsource skilled manpower from other regions.
Previously, a task force appointed by the Governor recommended upgrading ETTC to a constituent campus of MMUST. The task force found that the institution has sufficient infrastructure, including ample land, classrooms, lecture halls, staff quarters, toilets, laboratories, and an initial student capacity of 3,000.
Established in 1949 by the Catholic Mill Hill Fathers to train teachers, institution’s elevation to university status will further align with the Catholic Church’s long-standing role in managing the institution.
By Wakhungu Andanje
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