Government urges private sector to invest in university hostels

“The government recognises the challenge of limited student accommodation and is taking measures to address it. However, we also call upon the private sector to collaborate with us by investing in the construction of hostels around university campuses,” he said.

Prof Mkenda was responding to a question asked by Ms Paulina Nahato (Special Seats-CCM) who wanted to know the government measures towards addressing the shortage of accommodations in public universities.

Dodoma. The government has appealed to the private sector to invest in the construction of student hostels near public universities, as part of efforts to address a growing shortage of accommodation for university students.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, said the current demand for student housing exceeds the capacity of available dormitories in many public universities across the country.

“The government recognises the challenge of limited student accommodation and is taking measures to address it. However, we also call upon the private sector to collaborate with us by investing in the construction of hostels around university campuses,” he said.

Prof Mkenda was responding to a question asked by Ms Paulina Nahato (Special Seats-CCM) who wanted to know the government measures towards addressing the shortage of accommodations in public universities.

Also read: Hostels a big problem in higher education

According to Prof Mkenda, only between 30 and 50 percent of the students joining public universities get accommodations in the university hostels, except for the University of Dodoma in which 100 percent of the enrolled students are accommodated.

He said the government is currently overseeing the construction of 26 new dormitories across 12 public university campuses. Once completed, the new facilities will accommodate 5,987 students. The projects are expected to be completed by 2026.

However, Prof Mkenda noted that the pace of growth in student enrolment continues to outstrip the available housing infrastructure, highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships in closing the gap.

“There is an urgent need to expand the scope of accommodation services. We believe the private sector has a crucial role to play in supporting higher education and improving the welfare of students,” he added.

The shortage of student housing has been a longstanding concern among students and university administrators, particularly in urban centres where rental costs are high. Some students are forced to live in overcrowded conditions or seek accommodation far from campus, affecting their academic performance and safety.

The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), the country’s oldest and largest higher learning institution, is among those struggling with a severe hostel shortage.

Currently, UDSM can accommodate only 11,115 students in on-campus hostels, leaving over 22,000 without university-provided housing.

As such, education stakeholders argue that more investment is needed, particularly from the private sector, to bridge the gap.

For students like Susan Mgendi, a third-year undergraduate at UDSM, securing a hostel room has been a constant struggle.

“I arrived a week before classes started, hoping to find an affordable place on or near campus. Unfortunately, everything was already booked. The only options left were expensive apartments, which I couldn’t afford,” she told The Citizen recently.

With no choice, Susan settled for a private hostel 10 kilometres away from the university, a decision that meant waking up at 5am daily to beat Dar es Salaam’s notorious traffic. The exhausting routine often left her drained before even attending lectures.

A second-year student at Ardhi University, Joseph Mshana, shares a similar ordeal.

“In my first year, I moved three times because of rising rental costs and poor living conditions. It was stressful and affected my studies. Sometimes, I missed classes because I was busy house hunting,” he recalls.

Recognising the challenge, the government has initiated several expansion projects at universities to increase student housing capacity. One of the key projects includes adding two more floors to Blocks A and E of the new ‘Magufuli Hostels’ at UDSM.

According to a recent report presented to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Education, Culture, and Sports on March 18, 2025, the project will cost Sh3.8 billion and create an additional 576 hostel spaces.

“The expansion will increase the total capacity of Magufuli Hostels from 3,840 to 4,416 students. Among the beneficiaries, 192 will be female and 384 male,” reads part of the report.

Despite this effort, student demand still far outweighs the available spaces.

He said the government is currently overseeing the construction of 26 new dormitories across 12 public university campuses. Once completed, the new facilities will accommodate 5,987 students. The projects are expected to be completed by 2026.

However, Prof Mkenda noted that the pace of growth in student enrolment continues to outstrip the available housing infrastructure, highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships in closing the gap.

“There is an urgent need to expand the scope of accommodation services. We believe the private sector has a crucial role to play in supporting higher education and improving the welfare of students,” he added.

The shortage of student housing has been a longstanding concern among students and university administrators, particularly in urban centres where rental costs are high. Some students are forced to live in overcrowded conditions or seek accommodation far from campus, affecting their academic performance and safety.

The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), the country’s oldest and largest higher learning institution, is among those struggling with a severe hostel shortage.

Currently, UDSM can accommodate only 11,115 students in on-campus hostels, leaving over 22,000 without university-provided housing.

As such, education stakeholders argue that more investment is needed, particularly from the private sector, to bridge the gap.

For students like Susan Mgendi, a third-year undergraduate at UDSM, securing a hostel room has been a constant struggle.

“I arrived a week before classes started, hoping to find an affordable place on or near campus. Unfortunately, everything was already booked. The only options left were expensive apartments, which I couldn’t afford,” she told The Citizen recently.

With no choice, Susan settled for a private hostel 10 kilometres away from the university, a decision that meant waking up at 5am daily to beat Dar es Salaam’s notorious traffic. The exhausting routine often left her drained before even attending lectures.

A second-year student at Ardhi University, Joseph Mshana, shares a similar ordeal.

“In my first year, I moved three times because of rising rental costs and poor living conditions. It was stressful and affected my studies. Sometimes, I missed classes because I was busy house hunting,” he recalls.

Recognising the challenge, the government has initiated several expansion projects at universities to increase student housing capacity. One of the key projects includes adding two more floors to Blocks A and E of the new ‘Magufuli Hostels’ at UDSM.

According to a recent report presented to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Education, Culture, and Sports on March 18, 2025, the project will cost Sh3.8 billion and create an additional 576 hostel spaces.

“The expansion will increase the total capacity of Magufuli Hostels from 3,840 to 4,416 students. Among the beneficiaries, 192 will be female and 384 male,” reads part of the report.

Despite this effort, student demand still far outweighs the available spaces.