Orengo denies eviction claims against JOOUST Siaya satellite campus

Governor James Orengo’s administration has denied claims that they are evicting Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) satellite campus from Agriculture Training College (ATC) in Siaya town.

They claimed that allegations by a section of stakeholders and leaders, including Alego Usonga MP, Sam Atandi and former Governor Cornel Rasanga, are misleading and are not based on facts.

Orengo’s administration argued that while ATC land is not exclusively occupied by JOOUST, it also hosts the ATC, which remains a vital institution under the mandate of the county government.

Speaking to the media, Lands and Physical Planning CEC Maurice McOrege noted that the original  MoU signed between the county government and the University in 2019 over the satellite campus has expired, but they are currently holding talks on the way forward.

The CEC argued that the MoU was linked to the vision of mentoring and establishing Obama University, and the county government remains committed to the vision.

“However, its realisation requires broader consultations and active support from the National government. The provision of adequate land and resources is critical if this dream is to be realised.JOOUST requires expansive land to meet the standards of the commission for University education,” said the CEC during the presser.

He added, “These standards cannot be achieved by relying solely on the limited county land in congested urban locations. To this end, discussions are ongoing to relocate the Siaya prison from its current location to create adequate space for the university’s proper establishment within Siaya municipality.”

McOrege claimed these allegations are a move by critics to score political points, which are not healthy for students.

MP Atandi has planned protests tomorrow over the allegations that the county government is planning to evict the university from ATC to construct a new county headquarters.

The  JOOUST satellite campus was one of  Rasanga’s pet projects.

While speaking to the media, Rasanga said the economy of Siaya is still not doing well, especially at the headquarters, and it was not wise to shut down the campus.

He argued that with JOOUST’s introduction in Bondo subcounty, its economy improved compared to Siaya.

“For example, there are a lot of commercial banks in Bondo subcounty compared to Alego Usonga, which is the county’s headquarters. It is for this reason that when I was a Governor, I came up with a committee that would lead to the establishment of JOOUST satellite campus in Siaya town. The committee recommended that it was possible, but on conditions that it would be nurtured by a fully fledged University,” he recalled.

He said initially, the campus in Siaya was nurtured by Maseno before it pulled out because things were moving slowly, and that’s how JOOUST took over.

“I actually sat down with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who recommended that JOOUST nurture the university when Maseno pulled out. Initially, we named it Barack Obama University before changing it. The only problem we had was that it was just a satellite campus, and that is why the name was changed to JOOUST,” he noted.

Atandi confirmed that the university administration has informed him of a possible relocation of over 1,200 students to the main campus in Bondo.

He said this was despite his several meetings with Governor Orengo, where he had constantly requested him to consider allocating the land where the university sits permanently to JOOUST administration.

Atandi has warned that removing the institution will negatively impact Siaya town’s economy, which benefits significantly from the presence of a higher education facility.

In 2019, students in the department of Agriculture and food science were relocated to study in the new University College in Siaya town, formerly known as ATC.

First-year students in that department reported to Bondo main campus, where registration and orientation took place, but we’re later moved to ATC, where they did full orientation and started studies.

Former Governor Rasanga’s administration invested Sh140 million in building various infrastructure to revamp the institution that sits on 56 hectares of land.