The University of Nairobi Student Association (UNSA) President Rocha Madzao has gone missing hours after issuing a one-week ultimatum to the government to scrap off the new education funding model, the organisation has confirmed.
This comes at a time when the UNSA Council has taken a hard stance against the new funding model, UNSA Secretary-General Ramesh Saxena said.
“We all know that a university president missing for even 10 minutes is not a waiting matter,” said Saxena, urging all student leaders across the country to stand in solidarity until the UNSA president is found.
He added: “An injury to one comrade is an injury to all comrades, and no one shall know peace till the president is back with us.”
Mr Madzao was last in contact with UNSA Chief of Staff Friday evening around 9:45pm when he made a distress call to his assistant.
“The call lasted for 28 seconds,” said a union official who spoke in confidence for fear of his security. “He was in the process of explaining what was happening and where he was when the call dropped.”
The last time the UNSA president was seen in public, he had addressed students at the University’s Hall 9 Friday evening where he reiterated his stance against the new funding model.
After the address to the students, plain clothes police unsuccessfully wanted to apprehend him but the students “saved him”, said the union official.
His last public utterance were: “We are giving the government one week to scrap off this model, failure to which we shall demonstrate on September 2. I am imploring all students and citizens of good will to join us with good dancing shoes and vuvuzelas as we defend our right to free basic and compulsory education to every child.”
His disappearance comes days after the university student leaders across the country failed to endorse the government’s new funding model in a secret meeting held at State House Nairobi.
The Wednesday meeting at State House did not yield much, with reports emerging that each attendee pocketed Sh25,000 as ‘facilitation’ fee, claims that State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed denied.
“This event was part of a series of engagements with student leaders, who are the primary stakeholders in discussions about the state of university education and the funding model. It was agreed that moving forward, students will play a larger role in formulating policies related to university education, including funding and other relevant issues,” the spokesperson said.
He also said he is not aware of any amount of money that the students received after attending the meeting, dismissing claims by some students that those who attended were given Sh25,000 each.
The meeting that was convened following an uproar over categorising of students for university scholarships and loans in the new system.
A similar meeting with the student leaders at Kenya School of Government previously ended in disarray. Already, the UNSA president had issued a notice of an impending strike.
On Friday when the UNSA president spoke, he maintained his hard stance.
“The new funding model is inconsiderate, evil, ignoble and unholy and should be abhorred in all manners. The old adage goes that education is an equaliser but the model proves otherwise thus should be addressed before it undresses our future, poor children of boda bodas and Mama Mbogas of this great nation,” Mr Madzao said.
He added: “It is with great sorrow and grief that we converge here today. The universities across the country have witnessed the lowest turn up of freshers in its history because of the new funding model.”
