This archive report was first published on 26 October 2021.
On September 30, 2021, the High Court delivered a significant blow to the University of Nairobi by quashing new fees introduced for doctors pursuing master's degrees.
Justice Anthony Mrima declared that the implementation of the Maximum Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) criteria, which introduced the new fee structure, was unconstitutional and null and void.
Although the judge rejected the claim by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists' Union (KMPUD) that the fees were 'astronomical and beyond the reach of many Kenyans,' he agreed with the union that there was no public participation before the university increased the new fees.
Justice Mrima noted that the need for revision of the fees is inevitable, but the university must keep within the legal confines.
The union had challenged the fees announced by the University's Executive Board on May 17, 2021, and published on May 19, 2021, arguing that they were astronomical and beyond the reach of many students.
