Varsity admits record 10,000 new students

What you need to know:

  • Over the years, and under the watch of Prof Mugenda, who is serving her seventh year as the vice-chancellor, Kenyatta University has seen phenomenal growth in infrastructure, including the construction of a library that sits over 30,000 students.

Kenyatta University has admitted a record almost 10,000 students for regular degrees despite insufficient accommodation.

Only 10,000 out of its 45,000 student population have on-campus accommodation. The large number of students joining the university this year will only compound the problem.

Only a fraction of the over 9,000 freshmen and women who matriculated yesterday secured accommodation.

Vice Chancellor Olive Mugenda says the large intake that is the highest ever for a Kenyan university was driven by the need to enhance access to as many students as possible.

“We are doing everything possible to ensure infrastructure is expanded to take in as many students as possible,” she said.

Most students will have to make do with off campus accommodation in hostels, which the university arranges with landlords.

The university has also secured a grant from the International Finance Corporation to construct on-campus hostels to accommodate a further 6,000 students in six months.

More faculty staff will be hired even as part-time lecturers and tutorial fellows bridge the deficit.

She added: “We are increasing more eating points to ease food queues for students and this will be in place by Monday.”

Students said there was stiff competition for accommodation as only the lucky few got on-campus accommodation.

Over the years, and under the watch of Prof Mugenda, who is serving her seventh year as the vice-chancellor, Kenyatta University has seen phenomenal growth in infrastructure, including the construction of a library that sits over 30,000 students.

The Chandaria business and Incubation Center, named after renowned philanthropist Dr Manu Chandaria, also assist students develop and commercialize their business ideas.

These respond to market needs, and also nurtures employers and none graduates fighting for the few and scarce jobs on graduation.

The university also promotes extra-curricular excellence, and has this year offered 10 scholarships to students who excelled in performing arts, 10 to those excelling in sports and scholarships to over 80 students from poor families.

However, it’s the growing appetite for enrolling as many students as possible amidst dwindling facilities and teaching capacity with a recent study indicating that some of the universities had fewer lecturers with Phd compared to the number of students they were supposed to teach.