Moi VC immediately for ‘irregularly leasing’ portion of campus.
Vice chancellor of Moi University Prof. Isaac Kosgey was criticized by MPs on Wednesday for what they described as the “irregular lease of half of the institution’s land to a private investor.”
The VC struggled to explain how 1,500 of the 3,000 university-owned acres in Eldoret ended up in private hands.
The unidentified developer has cleared the area in question and hasn’t given the institution any money.
Kosgey was testifying before the Public Investment Committee on Governance and Education of the National Assembly, which is led by MP Jack Wamboka of Bumula.
Despite the developer gaining ownership, the VC informed the MPs that the institution had not received a single cent for the five and a half-year contract.
According to the arrangement, the institution would receive Sh16,500 annually for each acre, or Sh24.7 million for a full year.
The corporation was required to pay a little over Sh120 million for the five and a half years of the leasing period.
Kosgey informed the House team, “We received a directive from the Office of the President through Head of Public Service Felix Koskei that we surrender all the land that was being underutilised.”
“We called the council meeting and they gave their approval as per the directive.”
However, the lawmakers refuted the story, pointing out several ambiguities in the agreement and charging the venture capital firm with shielding the investors.
Wamboka insisted on complete transparency regarding the company’s directors.
The Bumula MP asked, “Is it typical for a policy issue to cover only one or two universities?”
“You cannot claim you are unaware of the company’s directors given you have been a venture capitalist since 2018.”
Moses Kirima, the MP for Central Imenti, charged that the VC had misled the committee by revealing that the leasing had occurred far in advance of the tendering procedure.
In order for Kenyans to identify the true perpetrators of what they perceive to be “the grabbing of the university land,” the Kenya Kwanza lawmaker further urged that the faces behind the firm be revealed.
“There are certain aspects about this Kenya Kwanza that are not very pleasant. Kirima remarked, “We are hopping from one scandal to the next.
“They [Moi University] are saying the land was occupied before leasing in the Lands Committee.”
Nzambia Kithua, the MP for Kilome, bailed out of the meeting, claiming he could not bear the VC’s “lies”.
He walked away, saying, “I don’t listen to lies, and I am uncomfortable sitting here.”
Rebecca Noonaishi, a representative for Narok Woman, insisted that the committee call Head of Public Service Koskei to clarify the decision.
The VC was instructed to provide all relevant lease papers and the total number of bids received to the committee.
Additionally, the university was told to present information about the company’s directors at the following meeting.
Moi VC immediately for ‘irregularly leasing’ portion of campus.
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