President William Ruto has ordered the relocation of the Homa Bay GK Prison to provide more land for the expansion of the Tom Mboya University.
Ruto, who spoke during the Blue Economy Summit in Homa Bay County on Friday, May 30, ordered the relocation of the prison to the vast Lambwe Valley, which is within the same county.
In his speech, the Head of State directed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to work jointly with his Education counterpart, Julius Ogamba, to ensure seamless allocation of extra land to the institution.
Meanwhile, Ruto has urged residents not to view the decision as a punishment to the prisoners since the Lambwe Valley was common for tsetse fly infestation.
He explained that the decision was due to the availability of vast parcels of underutilised land in Lambwe Valley that could be put into good use by relocating the prison to create more space for the university.
"I have instructed the Ministry of Education and the Internal Security to work on making sure that extra land is given to Tom Mboya University, especially from the prison which is here," Ruto stated.
"I think we can take the prisoners to Lambwe Valley. Not because it is infested with tsetse flies but because there is adequate space there," he added.
To further enhance the operations of the university, Ruto revealed the government's intention to construct new hostels, with the first phase of the project set to commence soon.
According to the Head of State, the first phase would involve the construction of a 2300 capacity hostel, which is set to be completed by next year.
"We have now advertised to build hostels for students in this university. In the first phase, we are building a 2300-bed hostel which will be completed by next year, so I will come up here next year to commission the hostel," the Head of State announced.
Additionally, Ruto announced plans for the construction of a blue economy complex to include university students in the preservation of Lake Victoria's ecosystem.
According to the President, he had already instructed Treasury CS John Mbadi to work with other relevant government agencies to look for sponsors for the establishment of the complex.
