Kenyatta University will soon open a campus in Kikuyu district, vice-chancellor Olive Mugenda has said. Speaking yesterday during the Kikuyu District Education Day at Kibichiku Secondary School, Mugenda said KU will partner with stakeholders in education from the district to establish the campus.

"The government's subsidised secondary and free primary education have improved the enrollment in schools and thus the need to expand institutions of higher learning," she said. "The university entry qualification is normally C+ (C plus) but because of limitation of space in public universities, many students who have attained the pass mark are normally locked out," said the VC.

She urged parents to support their children in their academic endeavours and not to leave everything to teachers. "It is your responsibility as parents to support your children so that they can excel in school. You need to create time to be with your children, encourage, guide and counsel them and express concern about their performance in school," said Mugenda.

Kikuyu MP Lewis Nguyai said more than Sh30 million have been spent on education in the constituency in the last financial year. She also urged students to workhard noting that there is a relationship between the amount of time students spend reading and in self- improvement programmes and the overall performance in exams and success in life.

Speaking during the same function, the area MP, Lewis Nguyai challenged parents to invest in the education of their children adding that when you empower a child you empower the whole nation. He said that Kikuyu constituency development fund (CDF) will continue to support government effort to improve education access and to improve the quality of education in the district.

He said that more than KSH 30 million from the CDF kiti in the just concluded financial year was channeled to education improvement initiatives. He urged all stakeholders in the sector to partner and devise strategies on how to improve education standards in the county.