The University of Nairobi (UoN) has deregistered over 30,000 inactive students in an enrolment clean-up targeting mostly those who have overstayed.
The deregistered students, who accounted for more than a third of UoN students, include those who have temporarily withdrawn and deferred studies or are serving suspension.
Thousands of university students have deferred their studies for lack of fees in a period the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) has struggled to offer loans amid reduced allocation from the Treasury.
The majority of loan applicants come from poor households and require financial support from Helb to pay for their tuition and upkeep, forcing some learners to postpone their studies.
Master’s degree courses are supposed to take two years, but many part-time postgraduate students have been unable to complete their studies within the set deadlines due to work commitments and reduced cash flow in corporate Kenya plagued by job cuts and pay freeze.
Students at the UoN are given double the number of years a programme takes, meaning those pursuing a four-year degree have up to eight years to complete studies while those enrolled for two-year courses have four years to graduate.