Masinde Muliro University closed indefinitely after students protest
What you need to know:
- The decision to close the institution was communicated Tuesday shortly after a senate meeting.
- Police fired teargas canisters to disperse the students who had converged at the graduation grounds after the decision to close the institution.
- Earlier, the students had converged outside the vice-chancellor’s office demanding to have the decision reversed.
- Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale said he was making efforts to contact Prof Otieno to give the students more time to pay their fees.
The Masinde Muliro University has been closed indefinitely after a protest by students that disrupted learning.
The students boycotted exams protesting a decision by the management to bar their colleagues who had not completed paying their fees from taking exams.
The decision to close the institution was communicated Tuesday shortly after a senate meeting.
The students were asked to vacate the university by 11 am.
The students are reported to be owing the institution at least Sh549 million in arrears.
Police fired teargas canisters to disperse the students who had converged at the graduation grounds after the decision to close the institution was communicated to them.
Earlier, the students had converged outside the vice-chancellor’s office demanding to have the decision reversed but Prof Frederick Otieno was reported to be attending a meeting in Webuye.
The chairperson of the students’ council Ms Winnie Opiyo said they had held six meetings with the management of the university but failed to resolve the standoff.
TALKS HIT DEADLOCK
She said the university should have allowed students who had not cleared their examination fees to sit the exams and clear the outstanding balances later.
“We have made all efforts to strike a deal with the management but we have hit a deadlock,” said Ms Opiyo.
She said only 88 students in a class of 300 would have sat the exams since the rest were yet to clear their fee balances.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale said he was making efforts to contact Prof Otieno to give the students more time to pay their fees and be allowed to sit the exams.
He asked the students to remain calm and avoid engaging in violent confrontations that could lead to destruction of property.
The decision to close the university comes in the wake of the cancellation of examinations for 31 students implicated in cheating.
The Registrar, Academic Affairs, Dr Carolyne Onyancha said the affected students had been discontinued for a period of between one and three years for taking part in an examination malpractice.
“The examinations for the 31 students have been cancelled as set out by the university regulations and those involved in the malpractices are discontinued for a period of one to three years,” said Dr Onyancha.
