Egerton University has announced that it will be doing away with at least 8 degree programs. The ailing institution says the 8 degree programs have not been attracting students to the institution in the past 5 years. The university says this will be immediate.
The degrees include; a Bachelor of Industrial Technology, Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Science (soil and land), Bachelor of Science (Dairy Management), and Bachelor of Science (Integrated Forest Resource Management). Another one is a Bachelor of Science (Applied Aquatic Science).
“As part of reorganizing the institution, we are scrapping some eight degree courses that have failed to attract enough students to sustain them despite having hired lecturers for them,” said the institution’s Vice Chancellor Prof Isaac Kibwage.
“The university has identified the eight degree programs which we intend to scrap. Lecturers and staff in those departments will, unfortunately, have to exit,” added Prof Kibwage.
Egerton University has been on the brink of collapsing for a lack of funds. The institution has not paid both teaching and non-teaching staff for over 36 months. Some of the workers long gave up and left the institution. The once-vibrant university has been closed on several occasions.
The latest announcement comes even as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission moved to court seeking to recover 1,136 acres of Egerton University land from land grabbers. EACC says the parcel of land worth 1.6 billion shillings was grabbed by private developers in collusion with corrupt Ministry of Lands officials.
The matter about the grabbed piece of land was filed on Tuesday before Justice Omollo of the Nakuru Environment and Land Court who fixed the hearing date for March 21. The EACC through lawyer Brigid Maina says the land was fraudulently acquired by a private company that then transferred it to one Kipruto Kemboi, the second defendant in the case.
