Egerton University pleads for MPs’ help to reclaim grabbed land
By Mustafa Juma, September 4, 2025Egerton University has appealed to Parliament for urgent intervention to reclaim 2,000 acres of its land grabbed by private individuals, a dispute that has stalled the institution’s development plans for years.
Speaking on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, during a meeting with the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education (PIC-GE) at the university in Njoro, Vice Chancellor Prof. Isaack Kibwage said the land, once under the University Students Accommodation Board (USAB), has been illegally occupied, with grabbers even acquiring fraudulent ownership documents.
Committee chairperson Wanami Wamboka (Bumula) assured the university community that MPs will push for the restoration of the land, terming the matter sensitive but urgent.
He revealed that a multi-sectoral team of three committees—Lands, Security, and PIC-GE—will be tasked with visiting the land and finding a lasting solution.
“This land ownership matter is very big and sensitive, but the land belongs to the University, and as MPs, we shall do everything possible to enable its restoration back to the institution,” Wamboka said.
Multi-sectoral approach
Wamboka further revealed a plan to have a multi-sectoral approach to resolving the stalemate that has curtailed Egerton’s chances of undertaking any farming activities to help generate income to supplement government funding.
“These land ownership wrangles have frustrated the management for years to the point that they cannot undertake any income-generating activities on the parcel,” Wamboka asserted.
“We shall recommend the coming together of three committees – Lands, Security, and PIC on Governance & Education – to apply concerted efforts to resolve the matter, to visit the land and find a lasting solution,” he added.
Procurement irregularities
The MPs also raised concerns over seven stalled projects valued at Ksh435.5 million, procurement irregularities, and the diversion of Ksh600 million from development funds to recurrent expenditure by the university’s Finance Officer.
Legislators condemned the diversion as illegal, with Kiminini MP Kakai Bisau stressing that it amounted to usurping the powers of the National Assembly.
“The finance officer’s decision is equal to usurping powers of the National Assembly by diverting funds to any other use other than its intended purpose and without any approval,” Bisau said.