Prof. Joshua Akong'a Campus Director, Kitale Campus

Kitale Campus

INTRODUCTION

Moi University Kitale Campus, ( formerly, St. Josephine Bakhita Formation Centre) is located about 118km west of the Main Campus in Eldoret; 82km from Eldoret Town and 8km from Kitale Town on the Kitale Kapenguria-Lodwar Road. The Satellite Campus was established in 2006, first at the premises of NOREC 3km from Kitale Town on the Kitale- Cherangany Road with three participating Schools including, the Schools of Education, Business and Economics and Human Resource Development. Currently, more schools and programmes have started and with the movement to St. Josephine Bakhita Campus, Moi University is set to entrench itself in the region.

ABOUT ST. JOSEPHINE BAKHITA FORMATION CENTRE

The Blessed Josephine Bakhita Formation Centre was started in 1996 through the initiative of Bishop Caesar Mazzolari and Macram Max Gassis of the Catholic Dioceses of Rumbek and El-Obeid of Southern Sudan, respectively. The objective was to train basic manpower for the respective Catholic Dioceses following the signing of the peace accord between SPLM and the Sudanese Government. In particular, the centre used to serve as a college for training Primary School Teachers, Nurses, Catechists, and as a Seminary (Secondary School) for boys as well as a Convent for women. The Centre was inaugurated by Bishop Rt. Rev. Cornelius Kipng’eno arap Korir of the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret on the day of the Feast of the Blessed Josephine Bakhita on February 8, 1997. The premise was finally vacated for Southern Sudan in December 2008.

Moi University acquired the facility on March 26, 2010 through purchase. The facility covers about 36 acres, and is located 8 km from Kitale Town along the Kitale- Kapenguria road. A cost and benefit analysis of the facility by Moi University in 2008 revealed that Moi University needed to get established in the region since it has a large catchment area in the North Western Part of Kenya (comprising the two new Sub-Provinces with Headquarters at Kitale and Lodwar, respectively) and spanning to Southern Sudan and Eastern Uganda. Of greater interest is Southern Sudan’s interest in higher education in Kenya for the provision of high level manpower in Southern Sudan. Currently, the Campus attracts students from far and wide. Thus, it is already a national institution in sourcing of students.

It is located in a transitional area between the rich agricultural south, dubbed the national maize granary and the arid pastoral north. As such, the campus has potential of becoming the herb of climatic and livelihood research. Individuals and institutions interested in collaborative activities ranging from research, academic and affiliation purposes will find the location of the campus suitable as a centre of excellence for activities in the Rift Valley, Western, and Nyanza Provinces, and its proximity to Eastern Uganda and Southern Sudan an added advantage.

The Name of the Campus
In the initial contacts between Moi University and The Bishop of the Diocese of Rumbek, it was clear that the Diocese would have wished to have the name “St. Josephine Bakhita” retained as Moi University occupied the facility. St. Josephine Bakhita was the first woman saint from the Sudan and is widely revered in that country as the Guardian Saint of the Sudan, who suffered greatly throughout her life but became physically and spiritually victorious at the end of her life.

Consequently, she inspires a lot of respect and good will for having endured persecution and suffering until the end. In a country whose citizens have suffered a lot from war, there is no better role model as St. Josephine Bakhita. When Moi University occupied the campus on March 26, 2010, it was highly recommended that the campus be referred to as “Moi University, St. Josephine Bakhita Campus, Kitale.” In recognition of its historical association with St. Josephine Bakhita and also in recognition of the development work of the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek in Southern Sudan. Moi University is most grateful that the Diocese handed over the beautiful Chapel for use by Catholic Students and the surrounding community under the auspices of the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Kitale (Bishop Anthony Crawly) who is to second a priest shortly and make arrangements for the refurnishing of the Chapel.

CONTACT ADDRESSES

For more and detailed Information Visit us at

Moi University Kitale Campus
on Kitale Kapenguria Road

or

The Director
P.O BOX 3378,
Kitale, Kenya
Email: kitalecampus@mu.ac.ke.
Tel. No: 0202094510