MPs question how 16,000 students were placed at Kisii University

Members of the Education Committee in the National Assembly were bewildered on how 16,000 students in this year's cohort were placed at the Kisii University.

A representative of the Commission for University Education (CUE) on Tuesday had a difficult time defending the decision, as she insisted that the university had the capacity to cater for the large number of students allocated to them.

Speaking during a meeting between the MP Julius Melly-led committee and the Department of Higher Education, Marcella Mwaka, who is the head of Programme Accreditation in the commission, told the MPs that Kisii University has 317 academic staff, 91 lecture halls, 14 laboratories, and 3 computer labs.

“We do the validation on the basis of the resources available at the university, the accreditation status of the programmes,” she said.

‘’One of the things we need to be aware of is that universities have different academic programmes, like for Kisii they have 82 bachelor’s degree programmes, being the third highest after Jomo Kenyatta University with 100 programs, while Kenyatta University has 87.”

The explanation, however, did not convince members of the committee who wondered how Kisii University would get a higher allocation of students compared to relatively bigger institutions like the University of Nairobi, JKUAT, or Kenyatta University.

“Are you sure that with 317 academic staff, 91 lecture halls, 14 laboratories and 3 computer labs you can accommodate 16,000 in one cohort acknowledging that there are other students at the institution?” Posed Melly, who is also the Tinderet MP.

Mwaka told the committee that with the cohort of 16,000 this year, the university required at least 1,000 staff members, as compared to the available 317.

“Our concern was the numbers in Kisii University as compared with other bigger universities that we have in this country. We need you to compare those numbers with the ones in those bigger universities and make us understand the logic you used,” stated Siaya County MP Christine Ombaka.

Efforts by Mwaka to explain the rationale behind the high numbers allocated to Kisii University bore no fruit with the committee demanding that she reappears at a later date with comprehensive answers.

“I know you want to give us a reasoned answer, which is not the actual thing on the ground. It’s you who approved these numbers, are you sleeping on the job as a university commission? Are you aiding inefficiency?” Melly posed.