Kenyatta University on Friday announced that it had closed two of its satellite campuses located in Rwanda and Tanzania, during the university's 44th graduation ceremony.
The campuses located in Kigali and Arusha were earmarked for closure in July 2017 following a government order that required the Universities to shut down the campuses located outside Kenya.
Subsequently, the university discontinued admissions for students to the campuses in September 2017.
An explanation from the institution noted that the move was also intended to consolidate resources, having spent Ksh370 Million to set up the Rwanda campus and Ksh53 Million to set up the Arusha campus.
[caption caption="Prof. Shem E. Migot Adholla (L) and KU VC Prof. Paul Wainaina (C) confer a doctorate degree to a student during the 44th Graduation ceremony"][/caption]
A report by Business Daily outlined that KU had opted to close as a measure to curb expenditure in the wake of reduced admissions of self-sponsored students.
"We received written instructions on the same and KU was already working on the process of closing the campus, which is still ongoing and will be completed in due course," Prof. Paul Wainaina stated at the time.
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) was also among 19 other universities that were instructed to close down by the Tanzania Commission for University (TCU).
Tanzanian officials announced that an audit report of the institutions had revealed that they do not meet the standards required.
Kenya's Commission for University Education had also blacklisted the campuses noting that it was against the Universities Act for public universities to set up overseas.
The institution, however, has a number of campuses countrywide where operations will continue as scheduled.
[caption caption="Students in graduation gowns prepare to enter the graduation pavilion during KU's 44th graduation ceremony held on August 3, 2018"][/caption]