Mount Kenya University hostels.[photo/mku.ca.ke]

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The government’s bid to help public universities overcome the huge accommodation crisis has started to take shape.

This is after potential investors were taken through a pre-bid meeting to sample the available investment opportunities in three public universities ready for the massive project.

The one-day investors’ conference-cum-pre-bid meeting brought together more than 100 local and international investors keen on securing investment opportunities in the University Public Private Partnership (PPP) Hostel Programme.

The first phase of the programme, which targets Moi and Embu universities and South Eastern University of Kenya (SEKU), seeks to develop 25,000-bed capacity in three public universities.

The meeting was preceded by the issuance of Request of Qualification (RFQ) to prospective investors mid last month ahead of the commencement of the competitive procurement process.

The RFQ closes on 28th February, after which the pre-qualified private firms will be invited to submit financial and technical bids for the projects. The Director of PPP Unit based at the National Treasury Stanley Kamau said the government has set out to involve the private sector in constructing hostels and other infrastructure projects in public universities through the PPP model.

“The PPP Model has attracted most public institutions in the country keen to attract private investment on a context of competing public needs.

The PPP model is also preferred mainly due to its ability to tie in the operation and maintenance aspect of an infrastructure asset, meaning facilities developed to remain in great condition for the entire life of the contract,” he said.