- President Ruto has laid the foundation stone for a Sh145 million, 340-bed hostel at Wumingu TVC, launching a wider Sh2 billion student housing programme in Taita-Taveta.
- The government has identified accommodation projects at Taita-Taveta University, Taveta KMTC and Voi KMTC, with a combined 3,260 beds planned across the four institutions.
- Ruto has committed to tarmacking the road to Wumingu TVC and ensuring reliable water and electricity access for the college and surrounding community.
President William Ruto has formally launched a Sh2 billion student accommodation drive in Taita-Taveta, laying the foundation stone for a Sh145 million, 340-bed hostel at Wumingu Technical and Vocational College (TVC) in Wundanyi.
Ruto laid the foundation stone at Funju in Wundanyi Constituency on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the start of his eight-day development tour of the Coast region. The Wumingu project is being implemented under the government’s Affordable Housing Programme. The President said the wider Sh2 billion investment in Taita-Taveta will provide hostel accommodation for about 5,000 students enrolled in universities, technical colleges and Kenya Medical Training College institutions across the county, with the Wumingu project becoming the first major physical launch under the county-wide accommodation programme.
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The new Wumingu facility will provide 340 beds. Government planning documents had already identified Wumingu TVC for the facility under the Affordable Housing Programme, alongside proposed student villages at Taita-Taveta University, Taveta KMTC and Voi KMTC, an accommodation strategy extending beyond universities to include TVET and medical-training institutions.
Ruto also announced additional infrastructure commitments for Wumingu TVC, saying the government would tarmac the road from Wundanyi town to the college and ensure reliable access to water and electricity for the institution and the surrounding community, placing the hostel within a wider infrastructure package rather than a stand-alone project.
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The Wumingu launch forms part of a broader Taita-Taveta programme, with government plans identifying student accommodation projects at Taita-Taveta University in Mwatate, Taveta KMTC, Voi KMTC and Wumingu TVC. The official project list provides for 1,760 beds at Taita-Taveta University, 580 beds at Taveta KMTC, 580 at Voi KMTC and 340 at Wumingu TVC.
The September 26 foundation-stone ceremony marks the beginning of construction at Wumingu. The government has framed the investment as a response to student accommodation needs and as support for the expansion of tertiary and technical education. The Sh145 million facility forms part of the larger Sh2 billion Taita-Taveta accommodation programme targeting about 5,000 students.
By Hillary Muhalya
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