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Fear of new brain drain as
violence hits universities
The Nation
Story by SAMUEL SIRINGI
10. Feb. 2008
Kenya’s public universities have been thrown in one of the worst
crisis ever due to the wave of violence in some parts of the
country.
The universities — already struggling to adjust to disruption of
academic programmes occasioned by the violence — are receiving
requests from students and staff who say they fear for their
safety in the face of the post-election violence.
At least four of the seven universities — Moi, Egerton, Masinde
Muliro, Egerton and Maseno — have reported getting such requests.
The students and staff say they would like to be moved to
institutions they consider safer.
If approved, the move could deprive the institutions their
reputation as national centres of academic excellence and reduce
them to mere regional colleges.
Some students from Central and Eastern province, for example, are
asking that they be moved from their campuses in Moi, Maseno and
Masinde Muliro universities, located in areas where members of
their ethnic communities were targeted for attacks because they
were perceived to have voted in a particular way.
The University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University, also in
Nairobi, appear to be the most preferred by students asking for
transfers from other universities.
University of Nairobi spokesman Mr Charles Sikulu confirmed there
had been many transfer requests from students from other
universities, but he would not state the exact number of inquiries
so far.
“We are receiving the inquiries but no decisions have been made so
far. We are busy with assessing our own situations with a view to
ensuring things run on smoothly in our institution,” he said.
Commission for Higher Education boss Prof Everett Standa said it
was difficult for student transfers on a massive scale to be
effected, especially among Government-sponsored students.
“Our universities run independent curricula. We are yet to come up
with a system for credit transfers that can allow smooth movements,
although we are currently working on one,” he said in a telephone
interview yesterday.
“We have agreed that each university meets to see how to move
forward in the current environment. But we must not allow politics
into education, which we have for many years relied on for
national integration.”
The commission, he said, was determined to ensure higher education
in the country was modelled in such away that what he called
parochial interests are not allowed to interfere.
The Sunday Nation learnt that the University of Nairobi had its
own concerns of security, and that it therefore prefers to call in
a few groups of students during the period of political unrest.
Mr Sikulu, however, claimed the university’s academic programmes
were on track despite the fact that only postgraduate students and
those enrolled in medical courses are currently in session.
“We have also opened our campuses in Mombasa and Kapenguria,
besides all extramural programmes. Our senate will announce dates
for the resumption of students for other groups once it is
satisfied that security is adequate,” he said in a telephone
interview.
Although the universities had initially taken a break of only two
weeks during the Christmas holiday, most students have not been
able to resume their studies after the post-election violence
forced the universities to postpone opening dates in January.
Kenyatta, Masinde Muliro, Jomo Kenyatta, Moi and Nairobi have
since started calling in students, but in piece meal.
Egerton has called in some groups of students taking science
courses tomorrow.
Egerton’s public relations officer Mr Ken Ramani said the senate
had endorsed the opening, and that they were not anticipating any
problems when the students report.
Although Moi opened last Friday, less than 100 students turned up
on the first day, most of them preferring a wait-and-see attitude.
With at least 300 teaching and non-teaching staff in displacement
camps in various places in the country, the university is one of
the worst affected by the violence.
At least 13 houses belonging to staff were burnt for staff and
five senior workers among the displaced.
The five, including the dean of students, deans of two schools and
directors of two schools, are reportedly living in Nairobi
currently.
It is estimated that more than half of the students in the
university come from communities that were likely targets in the
violence in the area.
Many students have reportedly made inquiries on how they can be
assisted to transfer from the university. But the university is
not open to the idea, which would also have implications on its
income.
“Unless security is beefed up at the university, I see a situation
where many students will either defer their programmes or withdraw
from the university entirely,” says one of the deans.
Our investigations showed that the university’s senate — the body
in charge of academic programmes — was divided over whether to
reopen or not.
Whereas some members who were not affected by the violence said
they needed to reopen, those from affected communities are against
it, arguing that many students and staff do not feel it is safe
enough to travel.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Richard Mibey, has offered to make
arrangements for staff who live in Eldoret town to be transported
to and from the university in college buses.
He has also held a meeting with people belonging to the local
community to try to prevail upon them to accept to live in harmony
with the students and staff.
The relationship between the university and the locals has not
been particularly rosy, with occasional demands that senior
university officials offer key jobs to local people, instead
dishing them to persons not indigenous to the area.
The nearby Cheptiret and Kesses areas have witnessed most of the
violence.
It is understood the university has asked lecturers who are
unwilling to resume their duties immediately to take compassionate
leave.
However, some qualified people would be engaged to teach their
courses in what could see some lecturers lose their jobs.
Amid the violence, the Sunday Nation also learnt that some
lecturers are meanwhile seeking jobs in other countries, mainly
South Africa.
At Moi, some lecturers who commute to teach in Nairobi campus
would also find it difficult to do so because the roads are
currently not safe.
The university and those in other affected areas are also likely
to lose many privately sponsored students to other universities,
especially Kenyatta and Nairobi.
Ms Edna Kerubo, a fourth-year student of Language and Literature,
said she will study the peace situation in the university for some
time before she can report back.
She said she had felt the impact of the post-election violence
after her parents were displaced from Molo and are currently
camping at a police station in the area. Also in the same camp are
her brother and sister.
“I am waiting fro my colleagues to get to the university first. I
am not sure the road is safe and I do not want to get in to a
situation similar to the once facing my parents in Molo,” said the
22-year-old, who only has a semester to complete her undergraduate
degree course.
Moi university’s head of communication studies Juliet Macharia
confirmed she had received requests for transfer to other
universities from at least five of her students.
“I have asked the students to hold on to their requests. The
problem we have is political and it does not need our academic
solution. I hope it will end soon to allow us back to our duties,”
she said.
The head of Kiswahili and other African languages at Moi
university Dr Nathan Ogechi said one of his four masters degree
students, who lost a house in the violence, wants to transfer from
the institution.
“But we do not transfer students at departmental level so that is
impossible. In any case, the student had paid full fees for First
Semester, which is unlikely to be refunded as teaching had already
been done,” said Dr Ogechi.
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