Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha on Friday called on universities and other higher learning institutions to focus on research to address emerging issues.
Magoha said there a lot of issues that pop up while others are perennial which can only be tackled through research.
He spoke at Tom Mboya University College in Homa Bay where he asked the institution to look for ways of ending perennial water shortage in the county.
Tom Mboya University College is the first university in Homa Bay county.
It was started in 2016 and is a constituent college of Maseno University.
Magoha said the university should prioritize research on water to address perennial shortage which has affected the residents for many years.
“Homa Bay is known for water shortage despite being near Lake Victoria. The work of a university is to solve societal problems. They should do research, which can end water problems,” Magoha said.
Magoha was in the company of Homa Bay deputy county commissioner Jude Wasonga, county director of Education Fredrick Kiiru, Maseno University vice chancellor Prof Julius Nyabundi and Tom Mboya principal Prof Charles Ochola.
The CS toured construction of a storey building at the university.
Magoha told the learners that the university can survive well should they focus on fish production.
Homa Bay has the more than 60 per cent of Lake Victoria water cover in Kenya.
“The community in which the university operates recognises fish as their best diet. Let your research be aimed at producing more fish to enable the university to prosper,” he added.
He said he was impressed by the ongoing infrastructural development the university.
“We don’t expect lecturers of this university to depend on fish obtained from elsewhere. Focus on fish production too,” Magoha said.
Tom Mboya is currently undertaking a number of infrastructural development projects to enable it acquire a charter so that it becomes a fully fledged university.
It has more than 3,000 students pursuing various courses. The university started with agriculture, business and education courses.
Edited by Henry Makori
