Why University of Nairobi postponed freshers reporting date, again
Several students who sat their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations in 2015 and 2016 and were selected to join the University of Nairobi will have to wait longer after the institution once again postponed their reporting date.
The students were supposed to have reported to the institution for their first year of studies last September but the reporting date was moved to this month due to a lecturers strike and the General Election.
However, the university has now asked the students to report next month as it moves to create space for them.
“First years cohort (KCSE 2016) reporting date changed from January 8 to February 19,” said director of corporate affairs John Orindi.
“First years cohort (KCSE 2015) reporting date changed from January 8 to February 20.”
The affected students are those in one of the largest colleges at the university — the college of humanities and social sciences.
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Mr Orindi added that the students had also been staggered due to inadequate space and human resources. He said the move was not new as other students have also been staggered in the past.
Last year, lecturers went on strike three times — in March, July and November — paralysing education and resulting in a change their school calendars.
During the August elections, the university was closed for more than a month.
The students who sat for their KCSE in 2015 were supposed to have started their studies in September 2016 while those who sat the KCSE in 2016 were expected to have reported last September.
In 2016, Moi University admitted the highest number of 2015 KCSE candidates who joined 32 public universities in September.
The university admitted 5,825 students, followed by Kenyatta University at 5,598 and University of Nairobi at 5,374 out of the 74,389. In 2016, 88,000 KCSE candidates were selected to join public and private universities under the government-sponsored programme.