Tanzania blocks Kenyan universities from admitting students

The Tanzania Commission for Universities has blocked two Kenyan universities from admitting students.The Jommo Kenyatta University for Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and Kenyatta University (KU) have been prevented from admitting students in Arusha from September for failing to meet standards.In a circular posted on its website, the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) listed Kenyatta University (KU) and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) among 17 others after a probe commissioned last year found that quality offered at the institutions fell short.

Both JKUAT and KU's Tanzania campuses are located in Arusha.

The directive, however, covers admission of students this September and will not affect continuing learners already enrolled at the Kenya-based universities."The report has showed several limitations in some colleges, as a result, the Commission has suspended enrolment of the first year students for the year 2017/18," said Prof Eleuther Mwageni, TCU's acting executive secretary.In reports to National Assembly’s Public Investment Committee (PIC), the two varsities disclosed that they had spent Sh450 million to set up campuses in the two countries.In August, Kenyans in Namanga held demonstrations against a deportation order against Tanzanian President John Magufuli.The protesters claimed that President Magufuli had deported their counterparts and Tanzanian authorities were targeting Kenyans living in their country illegally.The suspension comes barely a week to the enrolment window, throwing prospective students and universities into confusion and anxiety.