To alleviate the accommodation crisis at five Kenyan universities and colleges, a consortium led by Johannesburg-based consultancy firm Genesis Analytics has been appointed to lead a project to build hostels for 34 040 students, in partnership with the private sector.

The consortium included architectural firms, India-based Crisil Infrastructure Advisory and Kenya-based Lexicon +ion; legal advisory firm MMC Africa; financial support provider PKF; facilities management provider Lloyd Masika; and quantity surveyors Tandem & Stark.

Rapid expansion of academic programmes in Kenya put institutions of higher learning – currently admitting nearly 70 000 new students a year – under immense pressure to provide additional accommodation space.

The Kenyan Treasury’s Infrastructure Finance and Public–Private Partnership Unit (IFPPP) said the consortium would undertake an 18-month-long comprehensive feasibility study into the commercial and technical viability of the five projects to be implemented at Moi University, Embu University College, Egerton University, South-Eastern Kenya University and Kenya Technical Trainers College.

The IFPPP was a World Bank-funded credit facility that promoted increased, sustained private investment in Kenyan infrastructure over an extended period of time to improve the enabling environment to generate a pipeline of bankable PPP projects.

The universities were aiming to retain the services of private sector developers to develop, operate and maintain the five university hostels.

Through the development of adequate residences, the government of Kenya aimed to improve the success of higher education institutions in line with its Strategic Vision 2030, which obligated universities to meet the increasing demand for higher education and to improve the welfare of students. This project aimed to assist in reaching this goal by addressing the shortage of residences.

Each of the hostels would be subject to an individual feasibility assessment to provide a preferred technical solution option and recommend a procurement option between public sector procurement and private sector participation, based on the principles of value for money, affordability and effective risk transfer.

The Genesis consortium would also assist in the planning of a bidding process and input in the evaluation of proposals received. The project would close after support and detailed guidance to the Kenya government during the negotiation process.

“We are aware that the successful completion of this assignment relies strongly on our ability to leverage local expertise and knowledge of this sector.

“We have, therefore, also partnered with a number of Kenya-based firms that have the requisite technical skills and local contextual experience to augment the international strength of the consortium leads and ensure that the consortium delivers an exceptional project that is fit for the local context,” Genesis project manager Joel Barnor said.