The University of Nairobi on Monday disbanded its department responsible for handling self-sponsored learners.
The decision by the university council has met a cold shoulder as two factions—one in support and the other one against—the directive emerged.
Undertones indicate the opposition follows the move to strip off the unit power to handle funds from the self sponsored students.
In a letter, university council chairperson Julia Ojiambo said the Centre for Self Sponsored Programs (CESSP) accounts will now be handled by those duly designated by the council.
“The CESSP designated banking facilities shall, until further notice, continue to be operated by council’s duly authorised signatories,” Ojiambo said.
Previously, the vice-chancellor and director of CESSP were the sole signatories to the account.
Despite a decline in the number of students taken in through the self-sponsored programme, it arguably remains the main source of university revenue.
On Monday, the University and Academic Staff Union secretary for University of Nairobi chapter George Omondi supported the move saying it will ensure prudence and accountability of resources.
“The centre for self-sponsored programmes has been completely non-responsive to the needs of direct service providers,” Omondi said.
Among other functions, CESSP is responsible for collecting fees from all self-sponsored students, taking care of salaries for lecturers teaching the self-sponsored learners and to maintain accurate records and statistics for the students.
edited by peter obuya
