Hundreds of students from the Great Lakes University of Kisumu on Wednesday threatened to sue the institution for closing its Garissa campus and ignoring their travel problems.
Classes and exams have been transferred to the Westlands campus in Nairobi.
The students said that three weeks ago, they travelled to the campus — some from as far as Banisa in Mandera and the border town of Hulugho — only to be told without notice they had to move to Nairobi.
The university said the decision was based on huge fees arrears.“I’m aware a few students have cleared outstanding fees, but this is not [enough to enable] us to cater for the logistics,” reads a letter dated November 15 by director Isaac Onyango.
But student Mahat Ali said the university is lying and 80 per cent of students have paid their fees.
He said the allegation of nonpayment is just an excuse to harass them. Despite the notice, the students have remained in Garissa, hoping the decision would be reversed.
Ali said they have been incurring expenses to prepare for exams, and all the while they were never advised on the shift by the administration.
He said they are stranded, yet exams are starting in other campuses.
“Some of us have travelled from far to sit the exams.We’ve engage a lawyer and if we don’t get proper feedback from the institution we are going to seek legal redress,” Ali said.
The students said they were notified on November 15, yet learning was to start on November 16, adding this clearly indicated the management does not care about their welfare.
The university, with the main campus in Kisumu, had been operating in Garissa since 2012 at the Garissa Medical Training College.