JKUAT says it settled debts in Rwanda capital 

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology says it does not owe the owner of the building that housed its Rwanda campus before its closure.

JKUAT chief corporate communication officer Hindzano Ngonyo said the university settled the debt and is not at risk of losing its assets in Kigali.

SH15 MILLION

“The university paid the required Sh15 million to Mr Furaha Eugenes, the owner of the building,” Dr Ngonyo said in a statement.

In 2017, JKUAT announced the closure of the campus, following a government directive.

Some students were transferred to its Juja campus in Kiambu County, while others were sent to other universities in Rwanda under the credit transfer programme.

In 2016, the then JKUAT Vice-Chancellor Mabel Imbuga told the Parliamentary Investment Committee that the institution used Sh10 million to establish a centre in Arusha, Tanzania and Sh21 million on the Kigali campus.

The Arusha campus was established in November 2010 and the one in Kigali in 2012.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Corporation is seeking partners to establish a first regional development centre in Africa and the seventh of its kind globally.

MENTORSHIP

According to Microsoft Vice-President Perry Clarke, who led a delegation of company officials to JKUAT, the software giant plans to spend more than Sh1 billion on the project with local partners and the government over five years.

While receiving the team at the university, Vice-Chancellor Victoria Wambui Ngumi said the two institutions have had a beneficial working relationship, adding, Microsoft is one of the critical partners in JKUAT’s initiative to assemble laptops.

She thanked the team for visiting JKUAT, admitting that the centre would boost ICT infrastructure and training in Kenya.

TALENTED STUDENTS

She said the company would not go wrong in choosing JKUAT and that the university has talented students.

“JKUAT is one of the most preferred learning institutions by employers, parents and students. Our attractiveness can be attributed to technical expertise, knowledge of industry by staff and students, industry involvement through internships and curriculum development and mentorship programmes,” Prof Ngumi said.