Safety and security in Kenyan Universities: Recent dynamics in securing the students

1. Safety and security in Kenyan Universities: Recent dynamics in securing the students Paul Ochieng Dean of Students Strathmore University

2. Presentation Structure • History of safety and security in Kenyan universities • Change in university environment • Recent dynamics • Where are we currently • Questions and answers

3. Short history UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA • There are a total of 71 universities in Kenya at present. • The majority of them having come up in the last 5 years. • Universities in Kenya are spread throughout the length and breadth of the country. • Traditionally, the government funded university education in Kenya but now due to quality issues people are ready to pay more in private universities and leaving their slots in public universities. • Like in most universities in Africa, Kenyan universities also were the political nurseries of the 1980s and most of the current ministers were former student leaders.

4. Short history • Politics never died in universities, but rather grew with the coming of multiparty in 1992, so did rivalry and this is when heightened violence entered universities in Kenya. • Weapons started being found in student rooms in universities for self defense against rivals. • University riots started becoming a regular affair and its over petty issues. • With insecurities in public universities, most parents started preferring private universities to public. • In late 1990s government starts to cut back its funding to public universities, and to keep afloat universities admit excess students and they soon get overwhelmed. A perfect recipe for insecurity.

5. Change in University environment • Reduction of government funding: Lack of maintenance and building of new facilities. • Unplanned increase in student population. • Regulatory body for universities : Public vs Private

6. Recent dynamics in safety and security • Typical university in Kenya • Big both in student population and physical location. • More focused on its financial bottom-line than its service level to students. • More focused on its competition. • Lack of enough security and safety personnel or even undertrained staff. • Almost all universities have more students than originally planned for! Why? Education boom in Kenya. E.g. UON was meant for 30,000 and now it has 60,000 students. • New risks that never existed before;fires,Cybercrimes and kidnappings • Export of crime via inter-campus gangs; students expelled in one university go and commit the same crimes in their next university. • Increase in petty crimes due to social problems; theft of electronics.

7. Recent events • June 2011- A University of Nairobi Student Mercy Keino is shot and thrown off a speeding car. • Nov 2011- University of Nairobi Student Union Sec Gen-Alex Matere stabbed but survives. • March 2012- A leading newspaper The Nation, runs a story of unexplained wealth of student leaders and the impunity amongst them. • July 2012- A USIU student Sarah Aruwa is kidnapped and killed by fellow students • June 2012 – A USIU student Brian Bii commits suicide • August 2012- A Strathmore University student is shot by thugs outside the university and succumbs to his wounds a week later.

8. Recent events

9. How we manage • Theft- Do you have a receipt? • Rape and Kidnappings; Tell us where you are going! • Student Mental health- A better care! • Fire and Floods- No metal grills on windows?? • Database to help curb inter-university gangs- • Student security assistants ( community policing)- Be our eyes! • Social networks to improve communication- Facebook, Twitter • Making the environment friendly • Police- We need help!

10. Our Challenges • Student Database clean up and update. • Inadequate equipment. • Students support; in purchases and following instructions. • General insecurity.

11. End Thank you for listening