This archive report was first published on 22 May 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the world, Mount Kenya University has taken a bold step to ease the burden on parents and guardians by reducing school fees by 30%.
According to Dr. Evans Mwiti, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration at MKU, it would be unfair for the university to charge full fees when students have not been attending face-to-face classes due to the pandemic.
Dr. Mwiti explained that most parents have suffered due to the effects of the pandemic and would be hard-pressed to raise fees. To mitigate this, the university has introduced online teaching in partnership with Telkom and Safaricom, allowing students to complete their studies on time.
Staff and students will receive subsidized bundles to access online learning information and materials. However, students who are unable to access online services will be given an opportunity to complete their studies once learning resumes.
The university has also extended the contracts of staff and lecturers whose contracts had lapsed or were due for expiry until the institution re-opens.
On March 2020, the government ordered schools and universities to close as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus, derailing contract talks and blocking the release of salaries for affected staff.
As a result, MKU Chairman and Founder Prof. Simon Gicharu issued a memo directing the council to extend all contracts for all staff in and outside Kenya month by month until the university re-opens.
