- The hostels were charged at Sh30, Sh28 and Sh26 per day for a whole semester.
- The revised fees structure directs students to pay Sh 175 daily for a single room and Sh 144 for a room shared by two.
Image: UON
University of Nairobi students reporting for the September intake have been slapped with triple accommodation fees.
Students who previously paid about Sh2,700 per semester for accommodation will now part with almost Sh18,690.
The hostels were charged at Sh30, Sh28 and Sh26 per day for a whole semester.
The revised fees structure directs students to pay Sh175 daily for a single room and Sh144 for a room shared by two.
The University of Nairobi Students Association has asked the vice chancellor, dean of students and halls officer to do away with the increment, saying there was no formal communication for the same.
"I understand that the university is trying its best to have reforms on financial health. The main concern is that who authorized such hikes in accommodation and why isn't there any formal communication on the same stating the reasons as to why?" the notice reads.
The notice was signed by Unsa sports and social welfare representative Chiromo, Elvis Kimaru.
Kimaru has submitted a petition to the senate blocking the fees increment and is awaiting approval.
“The Helb loan is still the same and they have not yet been disbursed. With this effect I write in a diplomatic way to challenge and petition this increment to the senate and the vice chancellor to save this world class university,” the notice reads.
Uasu vice chairman UoN chapter Fred Atoh faulted the administration for increasing accommodation fees, saying it is not affordable to most students.
"We have had that issue in this institution where people just impose decisions on students without any consultation," Atoh told the Star in a phone interview.
The national university students organisation Kuso dismissed all institutions hiking fees, saying they should be ready to the handle consequences.
“No vice chancellor alive or senate in existence holds a mandate to impose laws or policies regarding stakeholders of those institutions without prior consultation,” Manyara said in a notice.
The organization further gives UoN management four days to restructure the fees plan for first years.
If this is not adhered to, students will hold a mega demonstration on Monday planned by Unsa and Kuso.
Freshers joining UoN for postgraduate and self-sponsored degree courses this month were faced with the increased fees despite recent public pressure on the institution to reverse the decision.
Fees for a masters degree in communication, which runs for two years, was raised from Sh275, 000 to over Sh600, 000.
Fees for degree courses like law, bachelor of commerce and economics under the self-sponsored programme were raised to about Sh1 million.