Great Lakes University moves staff and assets ahead of auction

The row over three parcels of land where the Great Lakes University of Kisumu’s main campus sits continues to intensify as the institution starts moving to its constituent college.

This is to give room for demolitions on the land after the management put the institution up for auction.

The vice-chancellor, Prof Atieno Ndede-Amadi has written to all staff, asking them to start moving to the newly registered Kisumu Community College of Science and Technology (KCCST) by November 5, where temporary structures will be set up.

The VC has also directed all new students to report to the KCCST campus in Kisumu Central Business Centre instead of the university's Milimani main campus.

“With the auction only three days away, all Kisumu Kibos-based staff, both academic and non-academic, to relocate to the fifth and sixth floors of Mega Plaza, Kisumu CBD CORC (Community Outreach and Resource Centre),” Prof Amadi wrote to staff on Monday.

The VC said: “Please take note that all activities related to relocation of staff and moving of assets will need to be completed by end of day on Thursday November 5, 2020”.

All temporary structures in all GLUK campuses such as Kibos and Milimani cafeterias, and the 'Migingo' Kibos campus structure are to be pulled down and their materials taken to the Kibos Farm “A” centre.

Prof Amadi also said the university will put up several temporary structures within Kibos Farm A to house all moveable assets such as tables, chairs, desks, beds, mattresses, and books.

Some items such as personal computers, library bookshelves and books, among others, are being moved from Kisumu Kibos to the Nairobi CORC on 4th and 5th floors of Centro House, Westlands.

The move by Prof Amadi sets another battle with the trustees of the university -- the Tropical Institute of Community Health (TICH) Trust, which had earlier in the month tried to kick out the VC and install a new leadership.

Last month, the trustees moved to court to reverse a decision that had allowed a bank to auction the parcels of land belonging to the institution, over a Sh300 million debt.

In February, Justice Thripsisa Cherere, sitting in Kisumu, found that the institution was established without meeting the rules for the establishment of universities. This was revealed after the university failed to convince the court to compel a sponsor to transfer six parcels of land as well as other assets to the institution.

The university has also been battling with the Kenya Revenue Authority over outstanding remittances to the taxman.

Now students of the university are calling for peaceful demonstrations on Thursday to protest the move to transfer them to the constituent college.

“We are, therefore, calling all students … for a peaceful demonstration on Thursday, November 5, 2020 from 8am from Kibos main campus to CBD Kisumu,” read a statement by students.

Seek intervention

The students want to continue with their studies and graduate as GLUK students without forced transfers as a result of the auctioning.

“We are appealing to GLUK sponsors and related government bodies such as Commission for University Education (CUE), Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) and Ministry of Education to intervene on the planned auctioning to be lifted and allow students to continue with their education under GLUK as private chattered university,” said the students.

However, according to Prof Amadi, the university is not on auction. What are on auction are the three parcels of land that the university has been sitting on, and which belong to the TICH Trust, which has been the main sponsor of the university.

She said the university is in the process of acquiring a 200-acre piece of land, in its own name, in the vicinity of its main campus in Kibos.

Interim authority

GLUK received a letter of interim authority from the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) to offer degree programmes in 2006 before it was later certified a fully-fledged university in 2012.

Prof Amadi said even though it is a legal requirement to have university land registered in its name, the TICH Trust has failed to transfer the three parcels of land into the name of the Great Lakes University of Kisumu.

Yesterday, Prof Amadi dispelled fears that learning will be disrupted.

“Teaching and learning, both virtual and face-to-face, is on-course,” she said.

Public notice

The VC explained that on October 22, Chase Bank, through Colinet auctioneers of Kisumu, placed a public notice in the local dailies of the intention to sell the three parcels of land registered in the name of Tropical Institute for Community Health and Development Registered Trustees (TICH Trust).

“On October 15^, 2015, TICH Trust borrowed Sh240,000,000 from Chase Bank, but has since defaulted on repayments. The bank seeks to recover the outstanding loan, which had accrued interest and penalties up to Sh303, 644,381.75 as at August 31, 2020, at an annual interest rate of 11.25 per cent,” she explained.

The VC said even though the loan was taken in the name of GLUK, the money was neither deposited in the university accounts nor used for development of the university, making it impossible to service the loan effectively.