Nairobi — The Government has turned down a request by Moi University to be given Eldoret Polytechnic as a campus of the institution.

Higher Education permanent secretary Crispus Kiamba said on Tuesday that the polytechnic can only become a constituent college of the university in preparation to upgrade it to full university status.

"Eldoret Polytechnic cannot be taken over by Moi University. It can only be attached to the university for a period of three years for legal purposes as it transforms to an autonomous university. This is what is happening with Mombasa and Kenya Polytechnic," the PS said.

A request written to the Government by the university to be given the polytechnic as its campus has sparked protests from the college community describing it as a takeover bid.

The PS said the committee on the upgrading of public middle level colleges was yet to decide on whether to grant Eldoret Polytechnic and Kenya Technical Teachers College the status of constituent colleges.

In the proposal to be given the polytechnic, vice-chancellor Richard Mibey said: "Moi University is requesting the Government to give the Eldoret Polytechnic to be a campus for engineering programmes."

He said the college was well equipped with technical facilities, which were under-used due to lack of highly qualified engineering staff.

The university is eyeing the college over its strategic positioning at the heart of Eldoret Town, which would help attract more students as opposed to the main campus, located in a rural setting, where the engineering courses are currently based.

The university had anticipated to admit the first batch of students in August last year, but the process had been delayed following the controversy the bid has elicited.

The institution has defended claims that it would interfere with the training of technicians, which is the core-mandate of the college, saying that it would continue offering the current diploma and certificate courses.

In its letter of request to the Government, the university said it would introduce eight engineering courses once the college became its campus.