University Student Leaders Demand For An Apology From CS Machogu

University Students Leaders drawn from several public universities in the country are demanding for an apology from Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu after he said that the government intends to cut funding to public universities.

Addressing the media on Monday from the University of Nairobi grounds, the student leaders have given CS Machogu 48 hours to issue a public apology on the remarks.

Led by Melvine Thogo of UNSA, Patrice Otieno, (UON UNSA Main Campus Governor), Vincent Nyakwach, (Secretary General UON UNSA Council), Teddy Odhiambo, (Kenyatta University Students Association President), Mark Thiong’o, (JKUAT students President), Valentine Mwende, (Treasurer UON UNSA Council) and many others, the leaders said Machogu’s remarks were reckless and more of a street policy that will not be entertained and if implemented, it will be detrimental to many students in public universities.

‘We will not relent until CS Ezekiel Machogu retracts the remarks and offers an apology. We will go to any lengths to ensure that that is not implemented. If that policy is implemented, it will mean students will have to dig more into their empty pockets to cater for basic needs in school. We will not allow,’ they lamented.

*Teddy Odhiambo, (Kenyatta University Students Association President), speaks while flanked by several other students leaders during the media briefing.*

This comes few days after the CS said the government will no longer fund public universities and colleges urging them to find ways of generation their own-sourced revenue.

“We are encouraging that they must generate their own revenue because the ex-checker as it is right now is not going to be able to continue funding more because in Kenya education takes 25.9pc, so we have to find other ways of creating and generating revenue for universities and they have to look at other revenue streams,” Machogu told journalists Saturday,.

He, however, noted that a number of universities will have a challenge because they are used to public funds from the exchequer.

“I am going to move around each and every university in Kenya because a number of our universities are faced with problems, particularly finance, you get them complaining about under-funding,” added the CS.

Most public universities are facing a serious debt criris.