This archive report was first published on 25 August 2020.
On August 25, 2020, students from various universities in Kenya penned an open letter to President Uhuru Kenyatta, calling for the reopening of universities by mid-September.
The letter, signed by the presidents of university students' unions, including Bernard Karanja of Kenyatta University, argued that the students' future was uncertain and that other sectors of the economy were already reopening.
According to the letter, the students were set to table a petition in Parliament on August 26, 2020, to push for the reopening of universities.
The students also expressed disappointment that Education CS George Magoha had not sought their opinion before implementing Covid-19 containment policies in the Education sector.
Magoha had previously maintained that the reopening of schools was contingent on the country's Covid-19 curve flattening, but later softened his stance, suggesting that schools could reopen before January 2021 if the daily positive cases subsided.
The letter read in part: 'It is in the brokeness of spirit that as true leaders, Our people wish for you to direct the Ministry of Education to reconsider its position on reopening of universities and further that all the universities that have met the MOH and WHO (World Health Organisation) guidelines reopens by latest mid-September.'
Over 300,000 students were affected by the closure of universities, with some having spent more than seven years studying four-year courses due to hardships.
File photo of the Kenyatta University main gate in Kiambu County.
