Tiriki residents have protested over the expansion of Kaimosi Friends University(KAFU) to satellite campuses, demanding greater attention and resources for the institution’s main campus in Kaimosi.
The demonstration was organized by Tiriki Union, a community organization operating in Vihiga County, amid growing concerns over what the group described as the continued underdevelopment of the university’s main campus.
The protesters questioned the decision to establish and open additional campuses in Vokoli, Vihiga County, and Kobujoi in Nandi County, while the Kaimosi campus, which hosts the university’s main operations, still needs further infrastructure development.
“This demonstration is occasioned by the community’s underdevelopment of Kaimosi Friends University’s (KAFU) main campus at Kaimosi, even as the University’s management proceeds to establish and open additional campuses at Vokoli and Kobujoi,’ the community said.
“We are aggrieved that resources and priority appear to be directed towards new satellite campuses while the Kaimosi main campus, which serves as the University’s foundation and primary home to the host community, remains without adequate infrastructural development.”
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Tiriki Union Protests Kaimosi University Expansion to Satellite Campuses
The community wants the university’s management to explain its expansion strategy and account for how it allocates resources and development priorities between the main campus and the satellite campuses.
“We demand full transparency and accountability from the University’s management regarding this trend of expansion, and call for the prioritization of the development of the Kaimosi main campus before further campuses are opened elsewhere,” it added.
According to the organizers, the issue is not opposition to the university’s expansion but the demand that the Kaimosi main campus receives adequate development before further expansion is undertaken elsewhere.
Tiriki Union had notified authorities of its intention to hold the demonstration and said the protest would be conducted peacefully and within the law.
Kaimosi University Explains Vokoli Campus and Moses Mudavadi Plans
In Response, Kaimosi University said the initiative to acquire the Vokoli infrastructure began in 2022, before the institution was awarded its university charter.
The university said the objective was to expand its infrastructure and academic capacity to accommodate additional programmes and support its long-term growth.
According to the institution, the Vokoli infrastructure was acquired cost-free to support the establishment of Kaimosi Friends University Moses Mudavadi Campus.
The university said the campus will host new academic programmes that complement its existing programmes and strategic direction.
It clarified that the move should not be interpreted as the relocation or displacement of existing academic schools or programmes from the main campus.
“KAFU remains committed to orderly, inclusive and sustainable institutional growth that benefits students, staff, the surrounding community and other stakeholders,” the university said.
The university added that all relevant processes would continue to be undertaken in accordance with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, university policies and established governance procedures.
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Ruto Pledges Ksh550 Million for Kaimosi University Hostels and Peace Centre
This comes after President William Ruto in August pledged Ksh500 million for the construction of hostels at Kaimosi Friends University and an additional Ksh50 million to support the establishment of a peace centre.
Speaking when he hosted members of the Friends Church at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said the commitments were part of his administration’s efforts to transform infrastructure and support development projects across the country.
The President said he had taken note of requests made by the university leadership, including those presented by Vice Chancellor Prof Peter Mwita, and assured the institution that funding for the hostels had already been allocated.
“I have recorded all you requested me here at the university, and I have heard from the vice chancellor. I want to assure you, vice chancellor, we have allocated Sh500 million for construction of hostels in Kaimosi,” Ruto said.
The construction of hostels at the university will sit on five acres of land and accommodate a 1,224-bed capacity. The President assured the institution that funding for these hostels has already been allocated.
The President also pledged an additional Sh50 million to support the establishment of a peace centre.
Furthermore, it was announced that the institution shall be renamed Moses Substone Budamba Mudavadi University.
The university’s reported enrolment figures have also entered the debate, with concerns raised over a decline from about 2,500 admissions in 2025 to approximately 2,400 in 2026.
For the critics, the figures raise questions about whether the pace of expansion is matched by sufficient growth in student numbers and financial resources.
Kaimosi Friends University operates under a government university charter awarded on August 2, 2022.
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