CUE works to fast-track university security measures

The Kenyan Ministry of Education and the Commission for University Education (CUE) are pushing the implementation of measures to improve security within and around universities and constituent colleges, aimed at preventing a recurrence of the fatal Garissa terror attack in 2015, and at curtailing the potential for student radicalisation and general criminal activity.

As part of the measures, all universities and constituent colleges are required to implement biometric identification systems and automate students’ records – precautions proposed in 2016.

A universities' security committee and representatives from the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government and from the National Intelligence Service (Kenya) have been tasked with drafting national minimum standards and guidelines on safety and security in universities, to be ratified and used to audit universities on security.

Other proposed security measures include improved surveillance, security screening and installation of security cameras/alarms in all the institutions.

According to CUE Chairman Chacha Nyaigoti Chacha, a status report on implementation of the biometric identification systems and automation of students’ records obtained from 56 universities and university colleges indicated that the majority of universities had initiated the process of implementing the requirements on security. However, a majority of public universities and public constituent colleges indicated that the implementation process was hampered by budgetary constraints.

The terror attack of Garissa University College in April 2015 where 148 people were killed and at least 79 others were injured, revealed a lack of capacity in Kenyan universities to deal with safety and security risks.

A report by CUE presented to Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed in early May highlighted poor collaboration between universities/constituent colleges and the national security council; the fact that universities are serving as hideouts and convergence points for criminals especially in hostels; radicalisation with cases of active radicalisation cells in universities; students colluding with each other to hide crime; prostitution in university hostels; increased cases of organised crime involving students or where institutions act as centres of crime; ethnic and political alliances where national politicians engage university students during political campaigns; and general laxity or lack of attention to security concerns in universities and constituent colleges.

To ensure the proposed measures are implemented, Mohamed formed a team of 10 members to monitor the institutions.

The Ministry of Education, through the State Department for University Education, is also working with CUE to ensure that the process of reviewing the ‘Universities Regulations 2014’ is finalised. A draft has been presented to Mohamed and is awaiting her recommendations. The review seeks to align university security regulations to the Universities Act.

“While the role of maintaining law and order is the role of Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, CUE has a role to play in assuring a safe and secure learning environment in universities,” Chacha told University World News.

CUE has committed to fast tracking the development of universities' minimum standards and guidelines on safety and security to operationalise the amended Universities Act and Universities Regulations and help to facilitate the maintenance of an updated centralised student disciplinary profile database based at the CUE offices which will act as a “disciplinary reference bureau”.

The commission has also recommended that the ministry considers negotiating with the government for a higher budgetary allocation to universities to implement previous directives on security and safety.