- Bomet University has admitted 3,889 first-year students for 2026/2027, but has left many freshers and parents struggling to secure hostels and rental accommodation.
- Parents have reported spending hours searching for housing, with some forced to accept accommodation at exorbitant rates amid limited hostel space.
First-year students joining Bomet University are facing an accommodation crisis, with hundreds of first-year students and their parents reportedly struggling to secure hostels and rental houses in and around the institution.
The university has admitted 3,889 first-year students for the 2026/2027 academic year, with concerns emerging that available accommodation facilities are inadequate to meet the needs of the rapidly growing student population. Parents and guardians accompanying students to the university have expressed frustration after reportedly spending hours searching for rental houses, with some forced to accept accommodation at what they described as exorbitant rates.
Some students have also raised concerns over the limited number of hostel spaces, saying they were admitted without adequate information on where they would stay once they reported to the institution.
The situation has increased pressure on the already limited housing facilities around Bomet town, as students compete for available rooms in private hostels and rental houses. A social media notice circulating ahead of the reporting period also indicated that there was no accommodation available for some first-year students, further heightening concerns among incoming students and their families.
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The accommodation challenge comes at a time when Bomet University is experiencing a major transition and expansion following its elevation to a fully chartered public university. President William Ruto awarded Bomet University College its university charter on February 4, 2026, making it Kenya’s 36th public chartered university, a move that granted the institution greater autonomy and formally separated it from its previous status as a constituent college of Moi University.
The Commission for University Education also confirmed that the charter marked a major milestone in the institution’s development, granting it full autonomy in governance, academic programming and research.
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The rapid increase in student numbers is now placing additional pressure on infrastructure, particularly accommodation, with calls likely to grow for the university and other stakeholders to expand hostel capacity. Parents have urged the university administration to provide clear and timely information on available accommodation and to work with private hostel operators to ensure students can access safe and affordable housing.
The shortage also presents an opportunity for investors and property owners around Bomet town to develop purpose-built student accommodation to meet the growing demand.
By Jeff Kirui
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