Students Strike Over Controversial Fee Increase
“The education of 60 000 students may be disrupted as a result of the strikes today,” a source working at UON told UP Tuesday. Images of students faced off with police and the twitter hashtag #Kaimenyi, are all over social media sites as businesses in Nairob’s CBD closed down in a rush as students from various campuses took to the streets Tuesday.
The students poured into the capital’s streets to protest over a controversial fee hike. but remained largely peaceful until they stormed Jogoo house. The intention was to hand over a petition to Education Cabinet Secretary Professor Jacob Kaimenyi. Anti Riot police pushed the groups back towards Uchumi house. “The economic sector will be the most affected,” the source continued..
One of the groups marched from Technical University of Kenya on Haile Sellasie Avenue, others from Uhuru Highway through Parliament road, another along Moi Avenue. Regular police and GSU stormed the University of Nairobi main campus and arrested over 300 students as well as several lecturers and university staff. The police broke down classroom doors and according to sources beat up the students as the riot turned into a cat and mouse game. There were reports and images online of similar protests in various public universities across the country. on On Wednesday morning twenty-three UoN students were arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts and charged with participating in a riot with the hearing of their case set for July 3.
As a result of the uproar, UP magazine decided to head into the fray and interview some people about what was going on.
How do you feel about Kaimenyi’s fee increase?
It’s tough to say. As an employee of the university I am aware that public universities desperately need more funding. However I feel that, as with many increases set by the government, this will end up affecting the poorest students disproportionately, effectively terminating their access to higher education. I am not sure of the veracity of this, but I have seen that even before this fee increase proposal came into the news that accommodation and other costs for students have steadily risen while their HELB loans are being decreased, meaning that a fee increase would be catastrophic for a majority of students.
Do you think the strike is justified?
I don’t think the strike is justified YET. There has been no official communication from Kaimenyi’s office on the fee increase. I’m certain that it will eventually come about but I think for student leaders to advocate for a strike before an official decision has been communicated only hurts their cause. It doesn’t help that many people already think of UoN students as hooligans who take any opportunity to strike.
How will the strike affect the rest of the semester?
I don’t think it will have any long term effects. As with other strikes (and I’ve been through several in the past few years), as soon as it is called off its back to business.
What needs to change so that strikes don’t happen?
Unfortunately, I think the government has demonstrated, especially to students that the only way to get their attention is to strike and to strike with lots of violence and commotion in order to gain visibility. Other methods of civil disobedience without violence simply don’t work.
Is Kaimenyi the one responsible or is he the scapegoat?
I think he’s just the most visible face for this fee increase proposal, so yes a scapegoat.
Student leaders are accusing government of corruption. They say they don’t want to pay extra, just to line the pockets of politicians vowing that the strike will continue until their fees are halved. Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi has denied authorising an increase in university costs. The strike is one more symptom of a country with security, communication, employment, inequality and corruption issues. How long can the present government last under the pressure before riots turn to revolution is the question on everyone’s lips now.
