Multimedia University Calls Crisis Meeting After Students Protest HELB Delays
The meeting involved the Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Research & Innovation, and student representatives from the Multimedia University of Kenya Students Association (MUKSA), among others.
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The administration of Multimedia University (MMU) along Magadi Road in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County called a meeting between the University's top leadership after its students protested on Tuesday, October 3 over delayed disbursement of Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) funds.
The meeting involved the Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Research & Innovation, and student representatives from the Multimedia University of Kenya Students Association (MUKSA), among others.
Led by Vice Chancellor Festus Kaberia, the management committed to addressing burning concerns raised by students which included missing marks that sparked anxiety among its fourth-year students expected to graduate later this month.
“The University is informed of two lecturers who have intentionally delayed the release of students’ exam results. The University Management has reached out to the lecturers and has already resolved the case of the 4th Year students who shall now be processed to graduate on 27th October 2023,” said the statement addressed to the students association.
Entrance to Multimedia University along Magadi Road. /MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY
The management also took note of challenges the students faced regarding getting school IDs, with the failure of a machine mandated to process their IDs hindering their access to campus.
“The University Management has initiated efforts to procure another suitable machine - after rejecting one that was delivered but found faulty. The new machine shall be operational by Monday, October 9, 2023. University IDs to all students on the waiting list within two weeks,” it stated.
Multimedia University also faced the challenge of water shortage blamed on a persistent dry spell and limited water supply from the Nairobi Water Company, which it would address by re-mapping the current water piping system to ensure equitable distribution and increasing external water purchases within two weeks.
Responding to the increase in the number of first-year students in 2023 which caused problems in terms of available classroom seating, the university committed to procuring 500 more student seats in two weeks.
Issues related to poor Wi-Fi connectivity in certain areas, notably in Halls D and E, were also acknowledged.
“This requires the replacement of cables and the University shall fix the problem within a week. In addition, the University shall progressively invest in upgrading Wi-Fi to improve the quality of connectivity in the Halls and its other facilities,” affirmed the Office of the Vice Chancellor.
Concerns about the condition of student halls, including missing sockets, lights, curtains, switches, and cleanliness during weekends, were also addressed, which the institution vowed to address in two weeks, planning joint inspections alongside student representatives to assess progress.
The resolutions notably steered clear of HELB loans issues which also led to the students' protests which crippled traffic along Magadi Road as they engaged police in running battles, lighting bonfires along the busy road as some of them escaped the chaos by scaling fences.
The protest came days after Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino, a former student leader, decried the delayed payment and challenged the student leaders across the institutions of higher learning to take the lead in advocating for the fast-tracking of the financial aid.
“The CS TREASURY together with HELB must move with Speed, and release the money to University Students who are sick and tired of sleeping Hungry. Student leaders should stop sleeping on duty,” Owino said on September 29.
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