4 arrested as University of Nairobi students mount protests along University Way, Uhuru Highway

Four people were on Wednesday arrested as University of Nairobi students mounted protests over the increase of tuition fees.

The protests affected traffic along University Way and Uhuru Highway as police moved in to disperse the student protests.

A similar protest also took place near the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where students camped outside the Principal's office chanting their grievances.

Law enforcement officers lobbed tear gas on the students as three of the University of Nairobi Students Association (UNSA) leaders were taken into custody.

Police disperse student protests at University of Nairobi Pulse Live Kenya

Speaking to the media, some students voiced their disgruntlement at the fee hike claiming that they did not have a chance to participate in the decision.

"It is unfair to just wake up one morning and decide you are increasing fees... we will not allow that to happen," one student identified as Jamleck stated.

Chairman Eddie Mwenda had earlier in the week cancelled the protests but they proceeded as planned following a 48-hour ultimatum.

Breakdown of revised UoN tuition fees

The University revised tuition fees for postgraduate courses and parallel degrees to more than double the previous amount citing a drop in enrollment numbers.

The university's administration announced that the new fee structure would apply for students enrolling from the month of July 2021.

A proposal was also put in place to have the fees for state-sponsored students tripled to Sh48,000.

An MBA course which used to cost Sh280,000 will now cost Sh602,000 with the Communication course equivalent now costed at Sh655,000 a Sh382 rise from Sh273, 000.

Medicine students will now part with Sh3.8 million for the five-year course which used to cost Sh2.35 million.

A law degree which used to cost Sh715,500 will now require students to part with Sh1,020,000 while engineering students will cough up an average of Sh2.1 million from about Sh1 million.