Jkuat Kakamega, Eldoret campuses face closure over quality issues

Two satellite campuses of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kakamega and Eldoret have been issued with a closure notice should they not address quality issues within three months.

The Commission for University Education (CUE) also directed Kisii University to address quality issues in its three satellite campuses in Migori, Nairobi and Kapenguria within one year.

AUDIT REPORTS

The universities have since received the audit reports from CUE and are required to act within the stipulated period starting January.

According to the inspection report, Jkuat Kakamega campus is said to be over-relying on part time academic staff leading to unfavourable full time/part time staff ratio.

Other challenges at the campus are; inadequate supervisors to effectively supervise the 718 postgraduate students, inadequate books, lack of key facilities such as health unit, academic staff offices, students centre and departmental areas among others.

The notice was issued to the campuses after an inspection that was conducted by CUE in August and September last year.

PHD QUALIFICATION

“From the data provided, the Kakamega campus had 56 per cent (553 masters and 168 PhDs) of the student enrolled for post graduate programme. The high percentage of post graduate students made the campus more of a post-graduate institution. However, the growth in number at postgraduate level was not supported by a corresponding increase in academic staff,” reads the report.

It goes on: “The campus had only 11 full time academic staff and 51part time staff. The appointment of the staff followed CUE nomenclature. However, the commission noted that a notable number of staff did not have PhD qualification. Further, the file provided did provide sufficient evidence of deployment of staff to the campus.”

The report says the campus had severe deficiencies in complying with the recommendations of the previous inspection as it failed to provide adequate human and physical resources to support the programmes on offer and the student enrolment and the resources do not meet the standards of the Commission.

POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS

The report further states that Jkuat Eldoret campus has inadequate qualified staff dedicated to the campus, inadequate supervisors to effectively supervise the 840 postgraduate students and unfavourable full time part time staff ratio.

Other shortcomings are; unconducive learning environment due to noise from the street, inadequate measures in place to institutionalise quality assurance at the campus, weakness in the transcript preparation process and inadequacy of key facilities including staff offices, student centre, proper departmental areas and health unit.

Jkuat Kitale campus has issues of inadequate qualified academic staff dedicated to the campus, an unfavourable full time/part time staff ratio of 1:8 against the stipulated ideal of 1:2, inadequate supervisors to effectively supervise the 538 postgraduate students at the campus and security of exams and certification.

Others are inadequate current books in the library to support all academic programmes, lack of key facilities such as a functional health unit and academic staff offices, institutionalisation of quality assurance at the campus and poor maintenance in the campus.

ACADEMIC RESOURCES

CUE also inspected Kisii University’s Eldoret, Kericho, Migori, Kapenguria and Nairobi campuses in September last year.

 “With respect to Eldoret and Kericho campuses, the commission noted that the available academic resources have to large extent met the minimum standards stipulated by the commission,” reads the letter Kisii University Vice-chancellor John Akama.

CUE granted full accreditation for the two campuses subject to submitting to its confirmation of the deployment of permanent academic staff of these campuses.

With regard to Migori, Nairobi and Kapengeria campuses, the commission noted that the establishment of the three campuses was viable but some major consideration was required on the complement of facilities and human resources to support the programmes on offer.

“The Commission thus grants provisional accreditation for the three campuses for a period of one year from the date of this letter. In both cases you are further advised to address all the recommendations in the report,” added the letter to Prof Akama and signed by CUE Chief Executive Officer Prof Mwenda Ntarangwi.

WEST POKOT

At Kisii University, Kapenguria campus, some of the issues identified included lack of clear understanding on operationalisation of the MoU between the County Government of West Pokot and the university, statutory approvals for the building and deployment of academic leaders to the campus.

Other shortcomings were; ensuring that the library is functional and has adequate resources for the programmes on offer.

At Eldoret campus, key issues are; deployment of qualified academic leaders and other staff for all programmes at the campus, enhancing security measures within campus and ensuring training of university staff and students on security issues among others.

At Migori campus, the report says the institution must address noise on one side of the building, ensuring print resource in the library and deployment of qualified academic leaders.

At the Kericho campus, outstanding issues are; proper furnishing of all functional spaces, provision of departmental areas and lack of   qualified academic staff.

Since the start on reforms in the university sector, a total of 24 satellite campuses have been closed across the country.