Investors around Maseno University are capitalising on the growing demand for accommodation by students and mushrooming businesses in need of premises around the institution.
The off-campus hostels built near the university have attracted several students who fail to secure accommodation in the campus as the institution grapples with the situation, and also the students who do not wish to reside in campus hostels.
Douglas Omondi, a real-estate developer in the area whom HiviSasa found supervising the digging of a foundation of a proposed hostel building on Sunday, said the business has never been more lucrative.
"Thousands of students being admitted into the university is a sign of sure business. The university cannot accommodate all of them," he said.
Allan Wande a non-resident student at the university said that he enjoyed living in the new Carol Herine Hostel as it provided him with conducive environment to conduct his studies.
"Despite the rooms being expensive, they are spacious, clean and also classy," he said.
However, Moses Kiplagat a non-resident student living in a different hostel said that he was facing challenges after missing out on in-campus accommodation and with barely enough money to afford decent place.
"The roof is too low making the house to be extremely hot during the day," he lamented.
Developers around the area are cognisant of the preferences of college students and they are keen to tailor their rooms to attract them.
"College students need houses are self-contained, secure and classy. This is the exact bait that we are using to ensure once the buildings are complete, they will get tenants quickly," said Omondi.