Local Traders Urge Rongo University to Adopt Three-Semester Calendar to Revive Businesses Around the Campus

RONGO, Kenya — Business owners around Rongo University are urging the institution to adopt a three-semester academic calendar, saying prolonged holiday is crippling businesses and livelihoods.

The traders say the university’s current academic calendar, comprising two semesters, leaves a five-month break from April to September. During this period, thousands of students vacate the institution, leaving the area deserted and severely reducing economic activity.

The prolonged holiday has affected businesses that depend on the student population, including boutiques, restaurants, salons, grocery stores, cyber cafés and transport services. Many traders temporarily close their premises, while others abandon their businesses altogether after failing to recover from mounting losses.

This holiday hit boda boda operators hard as the student population disappears. With fewer passengers, many struggle to repay motorcycle loans, forcing some lenders to repossess their bikes.

When schools close, our income dries up. We struggle to feed our families and keep up with our loan repayments,” said Eric a boda boda rider.

Johnstone Onyino, who operates a boutique near the university, said the sharp decline in customers during the long holiday has made it increasingly difficult to keep his business afloat.

“When students leave, customers disappear almost completely. Sales drop drastically, yet rent, electricity bills and loan repayments continue. Many traders are forced to close because they cannot sustain their businesses,” Onyino said.

The economic downturn has also hit the housing sector. Rental houses remain vacant for months after students leave campus, denying landlords their primary source of income. Despite the low occupancy, landlords continue servicing bank loans secured to construct hostels and rental units.

Business owners say they face similar challenges, with many struggling to repay business loans as income  drops during the extended recess.

Divinah Bochere, a caretaker at one of the commercial buildings near the university, said the once-busy shopping centers become almost deserted during the holiday.

”Most shops remain closed for months, and the buildings are unusually quiet. Some tenants never return because they cannot recover from the financial losses caused by the long break,” she said.

Rongo university recognizes the economic importance of maintaining activity around the campus

A STAFF MEMBER

The introduction of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)  programme at Rongo University has helped ease the situation by keeping a small number of students on campus throughout the year. However, traders say the TVET population is still too low to sustain the local economy.

An anonymous member of the university staff said the institution recognizes the economic importance of maintaining activity around the campus and is working to increase enrolment in its TVET programme

The university introduced TVET programme partly to help maintain activity around the institution throughout the year. We are also intensifying the promotion of our TVET courses to attract more students and ensure there is a steady population around the university even when regular students are on recess,” the staff member said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The business community is now appealing to the university management, the University Council and the Ministry of Education to review the academic calendar and consider introducing a tri-semester system.

They argue that reducing the lengthy holiday would help sustain businesses, improve occupancy in rental houses, enable landlords and traders to meet their loan obligations, preserve jobs and strengthen the local economy that depends heavily on the university’s student population.