WELCOME TO COAST UNIVERSITY PROJECT

PRESIDENT MWAI KIBAKI OUGHT TO BE GIVEN CREDIT FOR MAKING THIS LIFE LONG DREAM FOR MANY COASTAL NATIVES A REALITY

Coastweek - - I join my fellow coastal compatriots to be overjoyed because finally at long last our Coast province will soon benefit for having an institute of higher learning, thanks in part to the Royal government of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the Governor of Riyadh has agreed to contribute to the U.S. $ 10 million towards the establishment of what is poised to be the newest fully-fledged university in the country.

I am ecstatic for the news that, Coast will soon have a university.
During his official state visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after attending one of the most historic and the 19th Arab league summit, President Mwai Kibaki was able to secure development assistance to the tune of more than K.Shs. six billion for the country.
Upon arrival from his Middle East visit, the head of state said in part:
"Foremost is the establishment of a fully-fledged university at the Coast province and construction of the Garissa- Modagashe road."

The State House based Presidential Press Service in it press release notes in part:
"With regard to the establishment of a fully-fledged Coast University, President Kibaki said the Saudi Fund will contribute 10 million Dollars towards the co-financing of the university, adding that the Kenya Government and other development partners are also expected to contribute to the Coast University project".
This must have been the greatest news to the native Coast people if not the entire country as the university although to be base at Pwani is open to every Kenyan.
President Mwai Kibaki ought to be given credit for making this life long dream for many Coastal natives a reality.

Mzee Jomo Kenyatta had fifteen years and his predecessor Daniel arap Moi almost a quarter of a century and they did nothing when it came to improving the education standard in our region and ensuring that the province had a public university.
In less than five years, Kibaki has made it possible and it will soon become a reality.
And as the Muslims would say, Insha'Allah very soon the region would benefit with the presence of a university with our neck of our woods.

The topic of having a university located at my native region is very dear to me.
I treasure it because the only reason why more than forty years after independence Coast doesn't have a fully fledged university or even a satellite campus of one of the public universities is not only painful by disheartening.
I live in the greater Philadelphia region where it has the more universities and colleges than any other region in the entire United States.
The county I live in which is small located at outskirts of Philadelphia, has more universities and colleges than the whole of Kenya.

It is painful to me and other Coastarians (Wapwani) because I know the only reason the province lacked a university for all these years is because of the education marginalization (amongst other marginalizations) of the region by the two governments of Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel arap Moi.

The new university should either be called Coast/ Pwani University, or alternatively Ronald Ngala University (RNU) as a respect to the region's illustrious son, and one of the country's founding fathers.
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Sources: Coastweek
http://www.coastweek.com/3017-19.htm
Omar Ahmed Ali,
Philadelphia, USA.