Turkana University College closed over student unrest

Turkana University College has been closed indefinitely following a prolonged student unrest.

The college academic board said it closed the institution because students “engaged in acts of lawlessness, including harassment of staff and blocking the Lodwar-Kitale road.

“To avoid ugly situations, we have closed the university college in order to look into the grievances of students,” the institution’s principal Egara Kabaji, said in a statement.

COUNCIL

The students have complained of high food prices and failure by some of their lecturers to teach.

They also strayed into staffing matters, asking management to employ workers on permanent and pensionable terms.

The students accused the principal of allowing the university council to micro manage the institution.

“Council members spend most their time on campus. We do not know what they are doing. Who pays them?” said an enraged student.

NO LECTURERS

The students paralysed transport on the Kitale-Juba road on Friday for more than three hours to protest the poor state of hostels and lack of lecturers.

Their leader Casero Chebukosi said hostels at the resource centre in Lodwar town were run down.

FEES

The students want the administration, which demanded them to pay fees before resuming lectures, to address their demands.

The institution admitted 150 government-sponsored students in November 2017. It also has learners from South Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi, Indonesia and Rwanda.
Prof Kabaji said more hostels would be built to address the accommodation challenge.