A new university will be built in Emurua Dikirr, Narok County, after President William Ruto allocated Sh1.2 billion for the project and announced plans to launch construction of a major road linking the area to the wider South Rift later this year.
Ruto made the announcement on Wednesday, August 26, while handing over the Mamboleo Modern Market in Emurua Dikirr, saying the university would be built in honour of the late area MP Johana Ng’eno, who died in a helicopter crash in Nandi County in March.
“You asked me for the construction of a university here at Emurua Dikirr; I have today brought you Sh1.2 billion for the construction of a new university that will be in honour of the late Johana Ng’eno,” Ruto said.
The President said the institution would expand access to higher education for young people in Emurua Dikirr, Narok County and neighbouring areas.
“The university will help the children from this area, Narok and the rest of Narok,” he said.
The announcement builds on earlier efforts by Narok County leaders to establish a satellite campus of Maasai Mara University in Emurua Dikirr in memory of Ng’eno. The county government had set aside 100 acres of land for the proposed institution.
Ng’eno was among six people who died when a helicopter crashed in Chepkiep, Mosop Sub-County, in March.
Ruto also announced plans for a new major road to serve the area, saying the government had moved away from the earlier plan to upgrade the existing low-volume seal road.
“I have also seen your road here, which was initially a low-volume seal road. We have now allocated money for the construction of a new international class B road,” he said.
The proposed road will run from Salgaa through Chebole, Abosi and Shartuka, creating a key link between Emurua Dikirr and the wider regional road network.
“The road will be coming from Salgaa to Chebole to Abosi to Shartuka, and the road will be an international class B road,” Ruto said.
The President said he would return in October to launch construction of the road, although he did not disclose the project's total cost.
“I will be coming to launch the construction in October,” he said.
The road forms part of wider plans to improve connections across the South Rift, including links to the proposed Rironi-Mau Summit Expressway and road networks serving Narok, Kericho and neighbouring counties.
The two projects are expected to address key development needs raised by residents while also providing a lasting tribute to Ng’eno, whose death left a vacant political seat in the area.
The late MP died alongside five other people in the March helicopter crash in Chepkiep, Mosop Sub-County, Nandi County.