Reinstate universal suffrage in universities
Chuka University Youth Advocate Adrian Oluoch ( seated left), Kenyatta University student leader Zadock Okoth (centre), University of Nairobi Students Association Secretary-General Ramesh Saxena and other officials addressing journalists at the Beirut Restaurant in Nairobi on September 8, 2024.
The introduction of the delegate voting system in Kenyan universities has not only weakened student leadership, but also stripped an entire generation of its voice and its power.
This system, birthed by an Aden Duale Bill that eliminated universal suffrage, has turned once-vibrant student associations into hollow entities, devoid of influence and incapable of standing up for students’ rights or national interests.
Before this imposed system, university campuses were epicentres of democracy, where leaders emerged from the grassroots These associations were not only speaking up about campus issues but were also symbols of resistance and progress in the country.
Student leaders of the past united to champion not only student rights but also to challenge national policies, defend democracy and scrutinise government. They were the youth’s ambassadors, echoing the aspirations of a generation that understood the stakes on governance and the cost of silence.
Today, the delegate system has stripped that away. It has reduced student voices to whispers, replaced the vibrant pulse of campus activism with a muted thrum. The few delegates who hold decision-making power are often detached from the mass of students they represent, constrained by internal politics and external influences.
The spirit of unity that once drove students to fight for their future has been broken, leaving a disempowered body incapable of challenging university administrations or influencing national discourse.
This decline is not just a loss for universities; it is a loss for Kenya. The nation is weaker when its young minds are silent. A nation without a strong, articulate and active youth is one that stagnates, one that risks its future to apathy.
Reinstating universal suffrage is not just a university matter, it is a national imperative. It is a call to reignite the flame of democracy, to empower students to elect leaders who can champion their rights and participate meaningfully in national conversations. We must restore this democratic process for the silence of our students is the silence of Kenya’s conscience.
Ayub Njuguna, Egerton University
