Mount Kenya University Malindi, Mount Kenya University has acquired a two-acre piece of land in Malindi town, on which it intends to build a Campus.
Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Simon Gicharu says this will pave way for elevation of the existing Open and Distance Learning Centre into a fully-fledged Campus.
The ODL Centre operates from Al-Noor Plaza, under the ambit of Mombasa Campus. It admitted its first students in September, 2011.
The Centre has mounted various infrastructural developments to facilitate in the teaching, research and consultancy services. At the same time, Dr. Gicharu has announced that the Centre’s library will receive books valued at Ksh100,000 every semester. “Eventually, this will be the best stocked library among institutions of higher learning in this area.”
Humprey Njuki, the head of the Malindi Centre is optimistic that the Centre will positively contribute to the region’s human resource capital development. “This is an underserved region,” he says of Kilifi County. “It is bubbling with potential. Besides spearheading higher education training, we also hope to positively contribute to the educational level transition rates.”
Malindi is the largest town in Kilifi County, with a population of 118,265 (National Census, 2009). While 78.3% of the children aged between 15-18 years are attending school, the transition rates to secondary school are worryingly low. Only 7.1% of the population has secondary level education (Kenya County Fact Sheet, 2011).
“However, education is rapidly gaining premium and this is being reflected in our growing student numbers,” enthuses Mr. Njuki.