WHO WILL SAVE THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI?

WHO WILL SAVE THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI?

The mention of University of Nairobi elicits and depicts memories of an institution of higher learning that has produced a bulk of elite leadership of this nation. It is an institution where great ideas and minds have been produced. From political figures, to managers, to thinkers, to philosophers to distinguished and respected scholars.
Most of our legislators, ambassadors, chief executive officers of leading companies just but to mention a few, are products of this great institution.
Today, unfortunately, this university that was once a tower and a fountain of knowledge is degrading and bleeding from within at a worrying and silent rate. Apart from the buildings that are looking sharp, painted and expanded, the institution is a home of untold magnitude of corruption like activities, manipulation of its own statutes and interference with democratic space of both the academic staff and the students. The institution is in dire need of management uplifting. While the nation expands in its democratic borders, the University has been busy constricting this space. For the last 3 years, it has turned itself into a haven of repression where all whistleblowers are seen and perceived by the system as the enemies of development and are met with maximum cruelty which include termination of service, suspension and expulsion. Indeed, both students and the academic staffs have been pushed to the periphery of fear and weakened by unimagined consequences to the extent that they find it hard to bring to light some of the dark and dirty blankets that filth this institution. The cost of talking about the ills is so expensive that the informed yet grumbling students and the general staff finds it cheaper to learn the unbearable skills that enables them to co-exist with these ills.
To begin these highlights is the issue of the supportive facilities at this institution. They are so limited and those in existence are so out dated. While times demand for technological advancement, the institution still holds faithfully to old chairs, chalks, libraries and academic facilities. Both Parallel and regular students are severely affected, as they are always forced to fight for space in the lecture theaters. The student – lecturer ratio is overwhelming and as such the academic staff finds themselves overburdened to the extent that they can not carry an effective research as desired and defined by the University statutes.
The academic staffs are also lowly paid and this is evident in the fact that most of them would have additional business or classes in commercial colleges in town in order to support their families. Worse still, they find themselves unable to educate their own kids in this University where they offer their services. In fact some students lead a better life than their own lecturers.
“But what are the short term causes of these problems and where is the student Union to bring to light this historical tragedy?” The truth is that the current administration is so dictatorial and do not believe in diversified opinions. As such it has ensured that it determines and control the student union through bribery, threats and favoritism and the same is done to a section of the academic staff. Internal spies that supports this ill system and its ilk is well planted in every campus. And any form of disgruntlement leads to an automatic repression
Despite such challenge, some bold students have taken a risk to write some articles to “letters to editors” column of the mainstream newspaper about this state of affairs, but it seems that our country men have not found it wise to instigate this institution to save our future. The media have done a bit of their work and highlighted some of sad and degrading moments in this institution including a case in which a daughter of one of the deputy vice-chancellor was admitted at the medical school with a lower grade as required by the senate, courtesy of favoritism, but yet no one seem to be interested to give a listening ear.
The students are disillusioned especially by both the student union, student leadership and the ill abetting systems in the Administration. SONU has been turned into a cash crop and a stepping stone. Student leaders do anything to appease the Administration in order to gain cheap cash, employment after their academic terms and scholarship among other undisclosed yet undisputed self gains.
SONU election has never been fair or reflective of the student wishes. The students vote, but administration with the help of some outgoing SONU officials will always award themselves maximum veto power to decide who the SONU leaders become. This is the kind of geography that has been manicured at this Institution.
The forthcoming SONU elections are not expected to be different. And as a result we shall still end up with officials who will pledge loyalty to Administration at all cost. The SONU accounts are never audited yet every year, the students are forced to pump in more than 30 million Kenyan shillings. This is the only place, where you can access cash as a cooperating student leader without being asked to account for it. And despite the existence of the Student parliament, which should offer among other things, checks and safeguard to student finance through approving expenditures, the fictitious expenditure are a proved by ficticious parliamentary minutes With this privilege, no one seems to have interest to be go against the system.
But all is not lost. There still exist great and unsung but a large numbers of students and academic staffs who have remained faithful to their work and proved un-incorruptible at any cost. A random interview in this institution will reveal how much this community is burdened and in desperate need for someone who could stand up for them. However, the main worry lies in the fact that, the leaders who should nurture our future are the one who are busy corrupting and distorting it. Punishing those who are good and rewarding those who are bad.
But for how long can a generation keep quite? If we can not stand up for what is right in a small way, how then can we expect to change the destination of this nation? We can not appreciate the word patriotism if we can not stand up when times are tough and harsh. The situation in this institution of higher learning challenges the role of education. As per now it seems that the vibrancy of student fraternity in the early eighties and nineties, have been substituted by the education for survival rather than that of protecting and defining our future. So in writing in this forum, I strongly believe that someone out there will hear me and another will concur with me and may be the Ministry of Education or the media fraternity will be able to step in and save this great institution through a constructive intervention.
History is full of people who chose to speak when all were afraid to do so. And the time is ripe. Is there a voice out here that will save this institution? Great men and women, this is a humble appeal and call that will repeal the frustrations in this great institution. Saving UON is saving our future. I strongly believe that this will set the first step of a great beginning.

Yours faithfully,

Signed

OULU GPO
P.O Box 4598-00200
Nairobi
Tel 0722 214 869

NB. I am currently a 4th year Student at the University of Nairobi. I served in SONU as the Vice- Chair Chairman, was suspended for whistle blowing and have a first hand experience on how the system suppress and violate the rights of the Students and that of academic staff. I have more that I can offer to support the above article and its contents. I am concerned about the future of this University and I remain available for comments, interview or any other work that may help achieve this mission. My contacts are as above