Kibabii University Master Plan
Kibabii University College was established by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya in 2011 vide Gazette Notice No. 115 of 12th August, 2011 as a constituent college of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology following a petition to the Government by the community.
The University College is located within the environs of Bungoma Town in a serene environment surrounded by distinct land forms including Mount Elgon to the North and Lake Victoria to the South West, close to the Kenya Uganda border. The main campus sits on 70 acres of land availed through the good will of the National Government, the County Government and the local community. The University College has acquired more land on the foot of Mount Elgon for the diversification and expansion of its programmes. In November 2013 the university college initiated developed of its master plan that has been realized through participatory approach of all its stakeholders.
This is a 60 year master plan running from 2015 to 2075 and covering Main Campus. The Master Plan intends to accommodate minimum of 49,623 students and 6,994 staff members respectively. The master plan set out to plan for 448,308.14m2 of plinth area but realized 246,780m2 of space inclusive of the existing space of 44,122m2. This proposal will cost Ksh. 24,307,902,614.40 or US$ 266,451,338.17 to implement. This cost includes all building works, external works, equipment, consultancies, and all taxes associated with such development. 632 parking spaces have been planned for.
The Main Campus shall host the Main administration Building and remain the Headquarters of KIBUCO besides hosting the Schools of: Agricultural Sciences, Biological and Physical Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Computing and Informatics, Law, Mathematics and Actuarial Sciences, Geology, Mining and Petroleum Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Architectural Sciences, Environment and Natural Resource Management, and Tourism and Hospitality Management and other support facilities. Main Campus will also host the Board of Postgraduate Studies, Directorate for Accommodation and Catering Services, Directorate of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), AIDS Control Unit, Directorate for Quality Assurance and Performance Contracting, Centre for E-Learning, and Directorate for Sports.
The campus has been planned as pedestrianized neighbourhoods with vehicular activities at the periphery and pedestrian covered walkways connecting the internal and external spaces within the precincts. The campus embraces sustainability design principles and adapts planning principles, such as, pedestrianization of the Campus, keeping common activities central and easily reachable, keeping vehicular activities to the periphery by locating the road and parking along the boundary of the plot and allowing no through road within the development, keeping most building facing North-South, create an integrated and interconnected settlement, keeping specialized activities further away from the central core, creating clarity in circulation, ensuring that core buildings , such as, Hostels, Lecture spaces, and Library create continuous human traffic that promotes safety on campus, and covering main pedestrian routes.
The student population of KIBUCO can grow from the planned 24,352 to a maximum of 49,623 if the other supporting facilities are enhanced. For instance for this growth of student numbers to be realized, the community should be encouraged to develop hostels adjacent to these campus that will accommodate the students, water supply should be increased, and other environmental issues should be addressed. The University plans to develop a few student hostels that will eventually be converted to tuition blocks as the student population grows.
