Eight varsity campuses in Nairobi face closure for flouting stipulated regulations

Prof David Some, the secretary of the Commission for University Education, which has given notice to eight university campuses in Nairobi operating in contravention of the Universities Act No. 42 of 2012 that they face closure in six months. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• The satellite campuses have contravened the Universities Act and the public has been warned that the institutions will be closed soon.
• Those facing closure include St Paul’s University, Egerton University, Africa Nazarene University, South Eastern Kenya University and Dedan Kimathi University of Technology.
• Nairobi alone has 24 satellite campuses operated by various universities in the country.
• Recently, CUE officials closed down a university in Kiambu County for lacking registration and accreditation from the body.

By SAMUEL KARANJA
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Eight university satellite campuses in Nairobi County will be closed down within six months for failure to operate within the stipulated regulations, the Commission for University Education (CUE) has said.

According to the CUE secretary Prof David Some, the satellite campuses have contravened the Universities Act and the public has been warned that the institutions will be closed soon.

“Any university operating an unauthorised satellite campus in Nairobi is in contravention of the Universities Act No. 42 of 2012,” said the secretary in an advert appearing in the Nation on Thursday.

The city campuses facing closure include St Paul’s University, Egerton University, Africa Nazarene University, South Eastern Kenya University and Dedan Kimathi University of Technology.

Others are Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Multi-Media University of Kenya and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

The move is likely to put the commission on a collision course with the institutions whose satellite campuses situated in major towns in the country attract hundreds of students.

Nairobi alone has 24 satellite campuses operated by various universities in the country.

Prof Some said CUE had been mandated by section 20(1) (d) of the Universities Act, 2012 and Section 43 of the Universities Regulations 2014 to regulate establishment of university campuses in the country.

He said out of the 24 campuses operating in Nairobi, only 12 have been fully accredited while another three including KCA University, JKUAT’s Karen Campus and Kisii University have been granted provisional accreditation.

Recently, CUE officials closed down a university in Kiambu County for lacking registration and accreditation from the body.

The owners of the Barack Obama University had also not acquired authority to use the name of the US President.