Tanzania bars two Kenyan varsities over standards

JKUAT and KU are among 19 higher learning institutions which have been barred from admitting students in Tanzania from September 2017 over failure to comply with standards set by the universities regulator. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Jkuat and KU are among 19 institutions in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya operating in Tanzania that have been affected by the decision.
  • An audit conducted in September and October 2016 revealed they had not observed standards and regulations guiding the sector.
  • Last year, the university sacked its director of the Kigali campus for being behind the disappearance of more than Sh20 million.

Two Kenyan universities have been barred from admitting students to their Tanzania campuses this year over failure to comply with the country’s standards and regulations.

Kenyatta University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) will, however, continue teaching continuing students in their Arusha campuses.

KU and JKUAT, which have been battling to retain the campuses, are among 19 universities, including Tanzanian and Ugandan ones, affected by the directive.

The Tanzania Commission for Universities executive secretary, Professor Eleuther Mwageni, said an audit conducted in September and October revealed non-compliance with quality and standards in the institutions’ teaching.

UNIVERSITIES

“The audit report showed some weaknesses and shortcomings in these universities and, for that reason, there will be no admission of students in these universities in the 2017/2018 academic year,” said Prof Mwageni in a public notice.

The institutions had been criticised by, among others, Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, for having the campuses outside the country.

The management of the institutions, which appeared before the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee (PIC), have been at pains to explain the rationale of operating the campuses.

The JKUAT Vice-Chancellor, Prof Mabel Imbuga, did not reply to our queries on the issue while at Kenyatta University, the VC, Prof Paul Wainaina, was held up in a meeting.

Last year, Prof Imbuga told PIC that JKUAT spent Sh10 million to start the Arusha centre and Sh21 million for the Kigali campus.

ARUSHA 

She said Arusha campus was established in November 2010 while Kigali campus was established in 2012.

Last year, the university sacked its director of the Kigali campus for being behind the disappearance of more than Sh20 million.

The money had been collected from students in Rwanda, where he was serving as the campus’ coordinator.

In March this year, JKUAT was among 10 institutions that the Higher Education Council of Rwanda gave six months to comply with set standards or face closure.

It was also directed to suspend the delivery and further recruitment in all the programmes until such a time that it demonstrates the adequacy to deliver the programmes in line with audit recommendations.

KU said it cost them Sh370 million to set up a campus in Rwanda and Sh53 million in Arusha.