Bogus colleges shut down in crackdown
Joseph Kanyi | NATION
The Ministry of Higher Education will close down 110 institutions countrywide operating without registration. In Nyeri town, five institutions were closed and five people arrested on January 18, 2011.
A major operation to take illegal colleges out of business started on Tuesday.
Those shut included one called Nation Media Studies in Nyeri, an apparent attempt to capitalise on the success of the Nation Media Group.
Ministry of Education inspectors prowled major urban areas to shut down the colleges.
A list of 110 colleges to be closed was published by the ministry in the media last week.
In Nairobi, officers at Githurai 44 and 45 arrested one woman who was taken to Kasarani Police Station.
Those closed on Tuesday were Simack Computer College, Fountain Training Centre, Challenger Hair and Beauty Training, and Macsoft Institute of Information Technology and Business Studies in an operation led by Higher Education Ministry Provincial Technical Training Officer Kipng’etich Misoi.
Simack Computer College had one room, with the computer classroom and an office partitioned by a worn-out curtain.
A ministry official, Mr Alphonce Mwaa, said they were still looking for the owners.
The ministry requires that a college has a principal’s office, a library, a reception, a guidance and counselling office, washrooms and an industrial liaison officer’s office.
“It should also have a premises lease of more than six years,” said Mr Munene Njeru.
In Mombasa, senior technical institutions official, Mr Fred Oanda, said there were 19 colleges in Mombasa, Malindi, Kilifi, Voi and Wundanyi set for closure.
The Inter-global College in Kondele and the Global institute in Kisumu, were shut.
An education official, Mr Jeremiah Oruko, said the colleges were not fully certified.
In Nakuru, the Commission for Higher Education’s assistant legal officer Lemmy Gatere said two foreign universities are targeted for closure this year.
In Nyeri, five colleges were closed by ministry official Kemboi Kiptoo and dozens of students thrown out of two commercial buildings.
Those closed included Central Kenya School of Professionals, Chriscom Computer Services, Mukira Professional College, Nation Campus and Sterling Computer College at Pamki and Batian buildings.
Other colleges targeted include Christec Enterprises, Miles Training Center, Nyahururu Technical training institute and Stanns computers training and services in Nyahururu.
Reported by Ashley Lime, Valentine Obara, Gitonga Marete, Eddy Ngeta, Elizabeth Wanjiru and John Njagi
