The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and Kenyatta University (KU) have been blocked from admitting new students in neighboring Tanzania.
Tanzania’s higher education agency, Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU), barred the two Kenyan campuses among 17 others for failing to meet minimum standards.
In a circular posted on its website, TCU stated that the universities will not be allowed to admit students from September 2017.
The agency says that between September and October 2016, it conducted an extensive audit on all the universities operating in Tanzania and found that JKUAT and KU were among the 19 tertiary institutions not to have met the standards in terms of quality of education as well as important infrastructure required.
The directive, however, will not affect continuing learners already enrolled at the Kenya-based universities.
“The audit report showed some weaknesses in these universities and for that reason there will be no admission of students in these universities in the 2017/2018 academic year,” said TCU Executive Secretary Prof Eleuther Mwagemi.
Acting administration officer at JKUAT in Arusha, Mr Elias Kizota, said the university was unaware of the announcement, adding that its senior officials have engaged TCU in dialogue to resolve the issue.
“As I’m speaking, my bosses are meeting TCU officers in Dar es Salaam on similar issues. We are surprised by the commission’s decision to release this list,” he said in response to queries made by The Citizen.
“Hopefully, the university will have something to comment after the management have concluded discussing with TCU,” he added.
