Francis Muli
Reports reaching Kahawa Tungu indicate that the management of United States International University – Africa (USIU) has warned staffers divulging information to media about student unrest.
On the lead is finance and legal director who is threatening the staff members saying that anybody found to be speaking to bloggers will be punished.
Yesterday, students from the School of Science who are mostly from the Bachelor of Pharmacy held demonstrations opposing the university grading system terming it as is too high and failing them en mass, so as to get them to repeat courses and make further payments.
The USIU grading system has been a bone of contention with most students claiming that they are not being treated like other students in the country.
In response, the school issued a statement refuting the claims on its grading system, saying that they are doing a review.
Read: USIU-Africa Students to Demonstrate Over Poor Management and Grading System
“In close consultations with the Management Board (MB), the School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is currently addressing the recommendations for improving a contextualised grading system system proposal to be applied to all health sciences majors, with a view to submitting the revised proposal to the MB. The revised proposal will then be submitted for deliberation by the Academic Affairs Committee of the University Council, which in turn, makes its own recommendation to the full council for final deliberation and decision. The Council may adopt, reject, or recommend further revisions to the proposal,” read the statement in part.
The VC reiterates the value USIU-Africa places in its students, especially ensuring they are listened to, addressing their concerns through the University's governance system. USIU-Africa emphatically denies defamatory allegations made against its officials by certain media. pic.twitter.com/RdylQMyOUB
— USIU-Africa (@USIUAfrica) March 28, 2019
The demonstrations were unauthorized by the institution, with a security notice being issued over the weekend.
“A group of individuals have organized a protest along USIU Road on 28th March 2019 as from 0800hrs to 1100hrs. Students, staff, faculty and their visitors are asked to avoid accessing the campus through the main gate during the protest… you are expected to exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of large gatherings,” read the notice in part.
KCK 657X driver ran over students and knocked 3 motorcycles off the road during a peaceful USIU demonstration. @ntsa_kenya @Ma3Route @DCI_Kenya #USIUDemo #Usiuphailure pic.twitter.com/5OvWVDAc1E
— Butterfly 🍃 (@heaux_pe) March 28, 2019
Bachelor of Pharmacy students has not been in class for the whole semester, failing even to take their mid-semester exams. As the semester near the end, the students have insisted that they are not going to resume classes unless the issues are addressed.
While the administration is mum on this and using all means to suspend or expel students, the current strike is a sign of an underlying problem.
The new Vice Chancellor Paul Tiyambe Zeleza has allegedly adopted an authoritarian method of administration which he doesn’t apply directly but through the Legal Director, Hellen Ombima, and Finance Director Judith Obura. While the wife of the VC also teaches at USIU, the new USIU boss is known to also date Hellen who is said to be the lady in charge at USIU.
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