Fee increment: University students and police clash

Police battled University of Nairobi students yesterday afternoon during protests over a plan by the government to triple tuition fees.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha admitted that the idea of increasing the fee from Sh16,000 to Sh48,000 caused tension.

He added that the decision would not be implemented until stakeholders are consulted.

Student leaders gave the government seven days to drop the proposal, failure to which “we will resort to unspecified means to achieve justice”.

Police officers lobbed teargas canisters at the group that had blocked University Way.

Student leaders said the proposal being pushed by vice-chancellors and supported by the National Treasury as well as Ministry of Education officials during a meeting with MPs on Wednesday is an insult to families, given the bad sorry state of the country’s economy.

Public university managers say the institutions are broke even as the cost of teaching and research keeps rising significantly.

The students said the plan could not have come at a worse time “given that our parents and guardians have lost jobs as a result of the global pandemic”.

Increase fees

University of Nairobi Students Association (Unsa) President Eddy Mwendwa said learners were not consulted yet the matter directly affects them.

“The decision is ill-advised and should not be tolerated. They are making matters worse for us even as we struggle to put food on the table,” he said.

Kenya University Students Association Secretary-General Joshua Kibor said the government “is stepping on a live wire”.

He accused the ministry of being behind the scheme to increase university fees.

Mr Kibor questioned the motive of giving students money from the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) for upkeep when the same amount would be used as tuition fees.

“How will we sustain ourselves? The Helb money should be made a grant then. The ministry and Parliament should reject the proposal,” he said.

 “The university fee is being increased as the government uses Sh14 billion to fund the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI). At the same time, we are told there is no money to facilitate education,”  Unsa legal affairs head Justice Juku said.

Prof Magoha said the country is in economic dire straits, adding that increasing university fees would overburden parents.

Economic meltdown

He added that the issue originated from Parliament but the Executive has not discussed its implementation.

“Tension has been rising among students following reports of fee increment,” Prof Magoha said at Kapsoit Secondary School in Kericho County yesterday.

“We are in the middle of a pandemic. The matter came from Parliament but we have not had input from other players.”

He said everybody is feeling the pinch of the economic meltdown.

“It is fair and just to increase fees after 30 years but there has to be debate and a consensus. The issue should have a human face,” the minister added.

He said the government would not make a decision that could lead to student unrest.

At the same time, the CS said the government has begun releasing Sh1.9 billion to carpenters contracted under the economic stimulus package.

Desks and lockers have been made, inspected and delivered to thousands of public primary and secondary schools countrywide.

Prof Magoha said payment began in Nairobi and Kiambu early this week.

“I have been assured by education officials in Kericho that documents for payment and audit will be delivered in Nairobi. Our officers will work during the weekend. The contractors will receive their money by M-Pesa,” he said.

He called on the relevant officers to ensure payment is speed up by inspecting and verifying the deliveries.

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