The Rwandan Government has partially suspended the operations of Mount Kenya University in the country, citing the institution's failure to meet certain requirements.
According to Rwanda's Ministry of Education, through the Higher Education Council (HEC), Mount Kenya University has been offering "sub standard training". As a result, the university has been served with a notice suspending undergraduate courses in nursing, pharmacy, and medical laboratory sciences, as well as both Bachelors and Masters degrees in public health.
A notice dated August 28 from HEC stated, "Due to not fulfilling requirements, the following academic programmes of Mount Kenya University, Kigali campus have been suspended until all the deficiencies are addressed."
Additionally, MKU's newly opened Rusizi Campus was shut down, with officials citing that it has yet to fulfill "the due requirements".
Context and Concerns ¶
Several sources in Rwanda, speaking to Nairobi News, suggest that the relationship between the institution and locals in Kigali has been deteriorating over the past year, partly due to the perceived "influx of foreigners" at the university.
A source revealed, "There are a lot of Kenyans flooding the place, even to do menial jobs. There are very few people that can take care of the local’s interests there, yet it is an institution that is benefiting greatly from the incomes of Rwandans." The source further noted that having a local resident in a senior management position could have potentially mitigated the issue.
Mount Kenya University's Kigali Campus, which was opened in 2010, primarily offers courses in health education and Executive MBA programs. The institution, founded and chaired by Simon Gicharu, has approximately 4,500 students across three campuses in Rwanda.
The recovered account cited reporting by Nation.
