• 'The death was sad and unfortunate and should not be sensationalised at all.'
• Mugendi said according to the university policy, a student cannot proceed to the next year of study if he or she has more than two retakes.
Image: /FILE
The University of Embu has denied its refusal to allow a student to move to the next year of study due to failure in some course units led to his suicide.
Brian Mwenda, 21, was found hanging from the roof of his house outside the university on Tuesday, April 13.
Media reports had suggested that Mwenda allegedly committed suicide after he failed 10 units and was unable to raise Sh89,000 to resit them. He was in third year.
Vice Chancellor Daniel Mugendi told the Star that the reporting was not factual and that the student had no such retakes.
Mwenda, he said, had only one retake while he was in first year, passed exams well in the second year and the results for the third year’s tests were yet to be released.
“There is no way we could even allow him to proceed beyond first year if he had 10 retakes,” he said. The VC explained that in second year, the student was taking seven units, hence could not have failed in ten units.
Mugendi said according to the university policy, a student cannot proceed to the next year of study if he or she has more than two retakes.
"There is no way he could be in third year with 10 retakes," he said.
Mugendi said the student’s family had reported that Mwenda had medical issues “including depression.”
“The police are still investigating. We cannot tell whether the student hanged himself or was hanged. The matter is still subject of probe, and we cannot speculate,” he said.
He said when the university sought to push for a postmortem to determine Mwenda’s cause of death, the family declined.
“If the parents tell you that the ‘postmortem is already done, just give us our son to go and bury,’ what do you do?”Mugendi said.
"So you don't know what could be going on in the background."
The VC also denied claims that the student had fee arrears of Sh89000. He said Mwenda had cleared his fee obligation and was in right standing.
"He had Helb loan support as well as two CDF bursaries paying his fees. So there is no way he was having arrears. He was in perfect standing."
Mugendi said the institution had nothing to do with the death of the student but is fully cooperating in the probe.
"The death was sad and unfortunate and should not be sensationalised at all," he said.
Edited by A.N