University Chancellor Tours Main Campus Athi River

On 12th November 2020, the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Laban Ayiro, accompanied by the DVC Academics, Prof. Faith Nguru, DVC-FAP, Dr. Muturi Wachira, Director RMPP, Prof. Bernard Boyo, Chief Manager HR, Mr. Pius Muia, Legal Manager, Mrs. Mueni Kahumbura and the University Services Manager, Ms. Caroline Mwangi gave the University Chancellor, Prof. Mary Murimi, an elaborate guided tour of the Main Campus Athi River. Among projects they visited include the following:-

Bore Hole

The delegation proceeded to the borehole which was commissioned by the Vice-chancellor along with the Founder on 21st January 2020. The borehole yields up to 276,000 cubic meters of water per day, noted to be 50% more than the daily campus requirement.

Campus Beautification

The second stop was the Main Campus beautification project that started in May 2019. Since the beginning of the initiative, 6,000 trees (including fruit trees) had been planted in the expansive Athi River Campus, in a series of tree planting exercises held throughout 2019. The Chancellor was impressed by how beautiful Athi River Campus had become with green scenery all over the place. That same week, Qwetu Student Residences donated an additional 4,000 trees which were planted on 8-acres of land.

  The Chancellor suggested that the University adds more trees for students to relax under. The VC noted that the trees are fertilized using organic manure.

Livestock Project

The first stop was at the Livestock shed to see the Vice-chancellor’s livestock project. In December 2019, the VC purchased the initial 5 cows and 79 goats. By the day of the visit, the flock had increased to 105 goats with almost every goat having given birth. The Chancellor was elated by the possibility of using goat milk as a substitute for cow milk. She also noted that the fat from goats can be used to make soap.

Fruit Garden

The next stop was the fruit garden between the Library and the ICT Centre, which has a variety of fruit trees including oranges, mangoes, avocados and loquats. The Chancellor wished the fruit garden was closer to the vegetable garden for ease of management.

Vegetable Garden

The vegetable garden near the lower dam at the main entrance attracted the attention of the Chancellor and those in her company. The garden has kales, spinach, ‘managu’ and tomatoes.

 Noting that the garden was manually watered, the Chancellor pledged Ksh100,000 towards the purchase of drips and a water pump.

 “This project has been my dream and I want to give the Ksh 100,000. I will ask my friends to support me in making this project a reality,” she promised. The Chancellor urged willing students to work in the garden for school fees and pocket money. This she noted, will promote a productive work ethic among students.

Chapel Project

At the proposed site for the construction of the new chapel, the VC explained that the University was planning an multi-purpose Chapel to serve both the University community and outsiders without letting visitors into the campus. The chapel is estimated to cost KES350 million.

Kitchen, DH and Student Gym

The tour ended with a visit to the University dining hall and kitchen, that has just been renovated and furnished, and finally the new gym. During the visit members of the delegation each planted a tree near the new gym.