Varsity students promise ‘mother of all strikes’

By Eleanor Nandwa

Student leaders have threatened to paralyse learning in all public universities come Tuesday if the decision to increase university fees is not rescinded.

Backed by Kiharu MP Irungu Kang’ata – a former student leader at the University of Nairobi – the leaders vowed to stage “the mother of all strikes” to compel the Government to address their plight.

“We shall be joined by all the other MPs who were student leaders,” said Kang’ata.

He spoke during a Press conference with student leaders in Nairobi yesterday. The leaders criticised Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi for failing to meet them to unlock the fees impasse, saying their only option now was picketing.

“Kaimenyi has declined to meet us even after we issued a 14-day ultimatum. Life in campus has become difficult over the years and we want the fees reduced by 50 per cent,” said Students Organisation of Nairobi University (Sonu) chairman Babu Owino.

The student leaders had given the Education CS 14 days to establish a task force to review university fees, insisting they were not consulted. According to the leaders, the Government is planning to double the fee for regular students, which currently stands at Sh28,000, while allocation from the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) remains the same.

Kanga’ta said Helb is being mismanaged, citing the increased number of students who are not benefiting from the fund. He promised to push for the disbandment of the fund’s leadership in Parliament.