BABU OWINO TAKES UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI HEADS ON

A students organisation is planning to move to court to challenge a decision by the University of Nairobi to double tuition fees for self-sponsored students.

Kenya University Students Organisation chairman Anthony Manyara said they would petition the High Court to block UoN’s move, which he said would lock out thousands of poor students from joining the institution.

The organisation also wants the court to put a stop to further review of tuition fees in all public universities.

“KUSO will move to court to block any future fee increments in totality. This does not affect UoN alone, but all universities in Kenya,” Manyara said.

“KUSO is a national body and we will ensure no other university increases fees.” 

Three MPs have also promised to raise the matter in the National Assembly.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir and Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire on Thursday promised to table a motion in the National Assembly to debate how the issue of tuition fees should be handled.

The matter, which will be raised in the first week of August, seeks to stop university management from what they termed ‘unrealistic’ tuition fee review.

“We will not sit back and watch our children fail to get quality education. We cannot make education a preserve for the rich,” Owino said.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union has joined the call to suspend the fee increment.

“We are calling on the government to lower fees to allow more students to graduate,” KMPDU secretary general Davji Bhimji said.

 UoN increased fees for masters degree from an average of Sh275,000 to Sh600,000 for a two-year programme, an increase of 118 per cent.

Tuition fees for commerce, economics and law students – four year programmes – has been increased by up to 70 per cent to about Sh1 million.

Dedan Kimathi University students staged protests at their college after the management increased fees in June this year.

Kimathi University administrators responded to the protests by suspending learning and ordering students to go home.

The Star Kenya