JKUAT students challenge decision to close down Kakamega campus
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology main campus in Juja.
What you need to know:
- Early this year, the Commission for University Education (CUE) asked the university to close down Kakamega and Eldoret campuses by end of August 2020 over quality issues.
Students of a satellite Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology campus have moved to court to challenge a decision to close the campus.
Early this year, the Commission for University Education (CUE) asked the university to close down Kakamega and Eldoret campuses by end of August 2020 over quality issues.
The affected students in Kakamega, through the Jomo Kenyatta Sudents’ Association (JKUSA) have challenged the decision at the High Court and obtained a stay of the notices served to them by the institution, pending an ex-parte hearing of the application.
JKUSA is listed as the applicant while the JKUAT, Kakamega CBD campus and the CUE are the respondents in the matter.
Judge William Musyoka granted leave to the applicant to seek judicial review of the directive.
“I have considered the fact that there are motives to close the campus by the end of August 2020. I am persuaded that this should be a proper case to order that grant of prayer two operates as stay of the notices dated 20/62020 and 30/7/2020.
“Consequently, I do hereby grant leave to apply for order of certiorari in terms of prayer 2 of the ex parte motion,” said the judge.
The applicant was given 21 days to file the substantive motion.
In a recent memo, the director of JKUAT Kakamega, CBD campus Dr Dennis Juma requested all students affected to indicate the choice of JKUAT campuses they would wish to be consider to be transferred to.
The students were further given the option of choosing e-learning.
In a follow up memo to students dated July 30, 2020 Dr Juma said: “I wish to remind you to choose any other JKUAT campuses you would wish to be transferred to in order to facilitate the closure of the Kakamega, CBD campus. This must be done latest by August 4, 2020. Kindly adhere to these deadlines.”
But the students, led by Bravin Saziru Lavaza rejected the move saying it would disrupt their studies.
The students had been given the option of joining the Kitale, Kisii or Nakuru campuses.
