President William Ruto has announced plans to establish a new fully fledged university in Kapsabet, Nandi County, allocating nearly KSh 3.5 billion for infrastructure development ahead of a planned charter grant in February 2027.
Speaking during a church service at ACK Church in Kapsabet on October 18, 2026, Ruto said the funding would support the construction of student hostels, a library, lecture halls and other facilities required to prepare the institution for full university status.
“We have allocated an additional amount of nearly KSh 3.5 billion to construct hostels, a library, lecture halls and other facilities that will help us ensure that, when we declare Koitalel Samoei a university, it will have the capacity to educate our young people and adequate facilities befitting a university,” Ruto said.
Ruto Announces February Charter for New University and KSh 3.5 Billion for Construction
The President identified the institution as Koitalel Samoei University College, which currently operates as a constituent college of the University of Nairobi.
Ruto said he planned to award the institution a university charter by February 2027, allowing it to become a fully fledged university named in honour of Koitalel Arap Samoei.
“Just the other day, I also came to launch the construction of hostels for our new university, Koitalel Samoei, here in Nandi Hills. We are building a new university in honour of Koitalel Arap Samoei. Currently, it is a university college of the University of Nairobi. However, by February, I will come and award it a charter so that it becomes a fully fledged university,” he said.
The President said the additional funding would support student hostels, a library, lecture halls, and other facilities needed to run the university.
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He explained that the investment was intended to ensure the institution had adequate infrastructure and the capacity to educate students when it attained full university status.
Ruto added that the developments across Nandi County were part of a broader plan, though he did not elaborate further in the available portion of his remarks.
Koitalel Samoei University College: History, Courses and Nandi Hills Campus Development
Koitalel Samoei University College (KSUC) is a public constituent college of the University of Nairobi located in Nandi County. It was established on September 6, 2018, through Legal Notice No. 117.
The institution is named after Koitalel Arap Samoei, a Nandi leader who resisted British colonial rule.
KSUC operates two campuses in Nandi County: Mosoriot Campus along the Eldoret–Kisumu highway and Nandi Hills Campus, about 15 kilometres from Kapsabet.
The institution launched its first academic programmes on February 5, 2019, and offers undergraduate courses in education, business, economics, science and humanities.
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Its programmes include Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Economics and Statistics, and Bachelor of Project Planning and Management.
The Nandi Hills Main Campus construction began in February 2025 under a 24-month programme. The project includes an administration block and 14 lecture halls, with completion initially targeted for October 2026.
The campus expansion is expected to increase access to higher education in Nandi County and support local businesses that provide housing, transport, food, and other services to students.
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