The County Government of Siaya held a productive meeting with the leadership of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), focusing on improving their partnership, especially on the University’s Campus in Siaya Town. The partnership is therefore deemed important in the realization of academic and the general economic growth of the area. At the moment, it reaches over 1,000 students enrolled in programs of Agriculture and Food Science; besides the benefits that the students and the teaching staff provide to the town and its economy, the campus serves as a cultural hub to the community. The boost in the collaboration between the county government and JOOUST is likely to benefit in equal measure with an improvement in the standard of education and the social-economic development of Siaya Town.
In a meeting that occurred at the Siaya County Headquarters' Boardroom, the leadership of the two institutions, led by Siaya Governor, James Orengo; JOOUST Vice Chancellor, Prof. Emily Achieng’ Akuno; and Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, Students Affairs and Research (ASAR), Prof. Dennis Ochuodho, identified and agreed on several key modalities bearing the prospectus for effectiveness of the university and its sustainable existence. This meeting could be regarded as the first essential stage in the development of a genuine partnership for both entities, ensuring the need to guarantee that the functioning of the university would remain uninterrupted. There discussions delved into how the activities of the university should be directed to correspond with county strategies, and how both the university and the town can maximize usage of available resources.
To further the cooperation, a technical committee has been constituted and affirmed by the Governor Orengo and the Vice Chancellor Prof. Achieng’ Akuno. This team is to work on the agreed modalities of the understanding and is supposed to submit a detailed report within two weeks. The establishment of this team proves that both the county government and the university are committed to this partnership. The experts will have to work to find out areas where the university and the county have not firmed up good working relations for the campus to remain a hub of excellence of agriculture and food sciences.
The governor said he would fully support the university, and assured leadership of the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences that would continue its efforts in Siaya. He revealed how the main campus located in Bondo has triggered massive development of that area and at the same time encouraged the growth of Siaya Town into the economic city through this partnership. The Vice-Chancellor Prof. Achieng’ said that Orengo’s remarks have strengthened the position of the university offering needed assurance not only to the university but student as well. She stated that the support that was being accorded to the university by the county government would go a long way in ensuring that the university produced the best of the best.