Surprising reason why CUE closed some city campuses and left others

‘Matatu’ menace in Nairobi CBD has made Commission for University Education (CUE) to issue hell-bend closure notice to some city center University campuses.

What CUE needs to know is that, National Environment and Management Authority (NEMA) and County Government are bodies responsible to regulate and reign over ‘matatu’ madness in the city center.

Unfortunately, these bodies and by extension NTSA have failed seriously to maintain a healthy environment for all education investors in the CBD. They have failed to defend innocent education institutions in the city by regulating noise levels and excessive vibration that is costing Kenyan Investors a great deal.

Apparently, their failure to reign over noise pollution in Nairobi CBD has throttled CUE to issue a hell-bend notice of closure to at least eight satellite university campuses established in the Kenyan capital Nairobi’s CBD.

It is noteworthy that a number of these universities have academic and institutional reputations that have led to profound public trust in them. The vague notice by CUE is therefore retrogressive and it requires a critical, multi-dimensional reflection.

Regarding reasons for the shut-down order, the Commission's main argument is that the campuses are situated in the vicinity of vehicular ‘matatus’, hawkers and human noise.

Interestingly, some campuses on the same street were spared the axe. One reads politics in this laughable notice of closure by CUE. One even wonders on which criterion, if the 'unacceptable noise levels' in the locale is the major reason for closure?

Furthermore, the campuses of some public universities on Haile Selassie Avenue, no less noiseless itself, were not affected by the Commission's closure decision; raising the question, if the decision was in good faith and above board, why the selective application of rules?

As a matter of fact, one would expect the Commission to be scientific about the 'unacceptable level' of noise. Wouldn't it have been professionally apt for the Commission to seek or advise the universities, seek the input of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), NTSA and for the County Government of Nairobi to address the noise levels?

Granted,  the commission is mandated by section 20 of the Universities Act and section 43 of the Universities Regulations 2014 to regulate the establishment of university campuses BUT it’s also illogical for CUE to punish universities located in the CBD because of someone else’s failure to regulate noise level! Our support for quality education wanes further when CUE operates draconically and seemingly with vested interests.