Commission for University Education (CUE) Chairman Nyaigotti Chacha has revealed how students in Kenyan universities have been living in deplorable conditions.
Prof. Chacha outlined that the enrollment of more students without increasing resources to accommodate them had contributed to deteriorating conditions in most institutions.
"Students are living through hell. From high school cubicles where they probably were four, they are now 16 in one. Today hostels are a cocktail of all sorts of smells. Walking in the corridors of hostels you are hit with the smell of omena, fried eggs, burning githeri and all manner of things. It is not a joyous place," he stated.
The Chairman admitted that the parallel programmes offered in most universities have undermined the quality of education turning students into prisoners.
"And when they graduate, they feel like prisoners out of prisons. How long does it take to rehabilitate a prisoner? Let us discuss students' life in university education. It's time we talk about it," he reiterated.
He was speaking during an international education forum on the State of Education in Africa that was organised by the Africa - America Institute.
He called on the government to take responsibility and correct the situation.
"The government should not abdicate its responsibility of ensuring that universities have facilities that meet the required standard. Access to education also means having basic education for neglected areas so that they can produce students who can be admitted to universities," he concluded.
