Gataka is one of the best places to rent a single room or bedsitter as a student of JKUAT. In this area, a single room costs Ksh 2,500 to Ksh 3,500 per month. There are also nice bedsitters here that cost Ksh 4500 to Ksh 6,500 for one month. The most ideal rooms are the bedsitters but most students don’t have enough money to rent the houses. Most students opt to rent single rooms because they are cheap and available.
Apart from Gataka, there are also houses to rent just outside JKUAT. Most of them are single rooms and they cost Ksh 2,500 to Ksh 3,000 per month. You will be required to pay rent for one month and deposit for one extra month.
JKUAT university offers accommodation but they are not enough for the students, which is why they go outside to look for houses to rent.
One of the students told us:
“I was admitted to JKUAT in 2021. The first day on admission date I failed to get a hostel. I was forced to look for one outside the college. The following day I managed to get one just outside the university and it was costing Ksh 2,500 per month. I paid Ksh 6,500, which is Ksh 5,000 rent for two months and Ksh 1,500 deposit for water and electricity. I have been living in this room since then. When I am on holiday, I pay half of the rent—that’s how we agreed”.
It’s recommended that before reporting to the university,go and look for a house so that when you report,it won’t be hard for you to settle. The problem comes when everyone is looking for a house to rent at the same time. I mean you are reporting today and over 3,000 students are house hunting—it will be a hectic exercise. If you are clever enough, look for a house one week before reporting.