WILL MOI UNIVERSITY SURVIVE THE ERA OF NEW CHARTERS?

By Gitungo Wamere 
The dream of every Kenyan High school kid is to join a public university. They may not know what to do when they get therein, but our guillotine like system, demands them to dream to be in a University.

Unfortunately, the lucky ones when they get there they end up being frustrated by the dysfunctional system of our higher education. Those who join an institution like Moi University, which
chokes from its contradictions, end up resigning and cursing the whole system of higher education. The nearly collapsing higher education is what inspired the conceptualization of the UNIVERSITIES BILL 2012.

The bill is supposed to be the blueprint and therefore the cure- all document of the abuse, neglect and marginalization of our universities. So Many atrocities have been committed against our universities and in this Moi University is a perfect case study.

The bill outlines the objectives, the principles and values of university education in Kenya. On top of the objectives is to promote socio- economic development in line with the country’s agenda. Quality and relevance ranks top on the principle and values list. Without fear of any contradiction, Moi University lags behind in attaining these fundamentals. For instance, the Institution is situated in an area that was largely affected by 2007-8 PEV; did it play any role in bringing back peace and reconciliation? Does the university have classrooms, an upto measure library and other infrastructure for students?

To discuss the question of quality is like opening a pandoras box. Some essential questions still remains answered. Have reforms been initiated in the school of Engineering to make sure that never again will our graduates be rejected by the Engineering Board? What became of the School of Law after it was on the verge of being discredited?

When I look at Moi University I usually see an Institution that is haunted by malevolent ghosts of President’s Moi administration. The institution was a product of his sieged mentality. The university was meant to produce academic zombies who cannot respond on anything within the University let alone on national issues. This has caused the stagnation of the university. The image of the university is that of reluctance, unwillingness and incompetence. This is an institution where most of its workers come to the office to drink tea, read newspapers and gossip. After the beginning of the semester, three weeks later, there are still lectures that haven’t shown up.

There are still some students who haven’t received any of their results, two years later. Aren’t these indicators of a decaying institution? Moi University acquired a new charter on 1st March 2013 but I doubt whether The Commission of University Education did a thorough inspection. But all is not lost, with a new Cabinet secretary; he can freeze the process of issuing Charters and order for a thorough inspection before issuance of new charters to the universities.

Finally, my request goes to students, we are force that can initiate reforms. For a long time now we have been trampled on with indignity. We are a formidable group that can form strong checks and condemn the mismanagement of our university. The university Bill 2012 by setting The Commission of University Education gives us a platform where we can table our legit grievances

The writer of this opinion piece is a 3rd year Political Science student