Moi University has started harvesting season on its apple farm.
The inaugural harvest took place on Monday, February 28, 2023, at the University’s main campus in Kessses, Uasin Gishu County.
It was witnessed by the university’s top management led by Council chairman Dr Humphrey Njuguna and Vice-Chancellor Prof. Isaac Sanga Kosgey.
Others present as the university harvested its first apple were Christopher Khaemba and Prof. Clara Momanyi, both of who are members of the Moi University Council.
“This is a great stride for the University as apple farming is the go-to activity to raise funds to supplement the exchequer funding,” the university said in a post on its official Facebook page.
Moi University launched Apple Farming in May 2021 not to only generate income for the Institution but also to contribute to Food Security Nutrition Security and Health.
Like any other public university in the country, Moi University has been facing financial challenges and opted to venture into Apple farming as an alternative income generation activity to help finance its programs.
In a past media briefing, the university council chair had indicated that they would plant apples on a 1,000-acre piece of land.
“We don’t foresee a situation where the exchequer can finance 100 per cent of the financial needs of our public universities,” Njuguna told journalists during a four-day workshop in Mombasa in September 2021.
Moi University estimated that it would be making Ksh79 million per acre on the apple farm, which translates to about Ksh80 billion.
“It might sound like we are out of this world but we have done our due diligence,” said the university council chair.
