Kenyan students at Harvard University are among those set to be affected after the US government revoked the institution’s ability to enrol international students.
This follows an order by the Donald Trump administration directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, meaning Harvard will no longer be allowed to enrol foreign students.
Current international students must now transfer to other institutions or risk losing their legal status in the United States, with the directive set to take effect in the 2025–2026 academic year.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Harvard was accused of fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.
This came after Trump’s administration had demanded information about the alleged criminality and misconduct of foreign students on its campus, to which Harvard refused.
“Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country,” Noem announced.
In the current academic year, Harvard enrolled 6,800 international students, making up 27 per cent of its enrollment. This was the highest rate of enrollment since the 2006/2007 academic year.
Kenya has had a history of having Harvard graduates, with notable alumni like former Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge and Supreme Court Judge Njoki Ndung’u passing through the Ivy League school.
Although the exact number of Kenyan students currently at Harvard is not known, statistics reveal that Kenya had 48 students at Harvard as of 2014. By 2018, this number had reduced to 35.
In response, Harvard sued the Trump administration, calling the revocation a “blatant violation” of the US Constitution, among other federal laws.
"With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission," Harvard said.
"Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the 389-year-old school added.
For some time, the dispute between Trump and Harvard has been brewing, with Trump recently freezing some $3 billion (Ksh 387B) in federal grants to Harvard, leading the university to sue to restore the funding.
