Presbyterian University begins transferring students to MKU

The cash strapped Presbyterian University of East Africa (PUEA) has began the process of transferring its students to other varsities with majority of learners set to join Mount Kenya University (MKU).

PUEA is currently issuing students their transcripts and transferring their credits to MKU, Business Today has learnt.

The move may signify that the university could soon shut down following the decision by the Ministry of Education to wind up the institution earlier in the year.

On January 25, then Acting Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i revoked the operating licence of the varsity following recommendations by the Commission for University Education (CUE). PUEA however appealed the decision on January 26.

In the report to CS Matiang’i, CUE had raised the red flag on financial woes at the institution of higher learning stating that the university had defaulted in paying salaries and allowances to its staff for a period of two years.

CUE stated that the defaulted amount by PUEA stood at Ksh611 million as of January 23, 2018.

Failure to honour its obligations to its employees had serious consequences for the staff as some of them were listed at the Credit Reference Bureau.

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By June, the university was still admitting students despite the revocation of its licence forcing CUE chairperson Prof. Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha to ask the management to suspend the admissions.

The Presbyterian University of East Africa(PUEA) continues to offer quality education based on dynamic Christian values to create highly competitive graduates in the Kenyan job market and beyond. pic.twitter.com/fJ2thcraA9

— Presbyterian UEA (@presbyterianuni) July 8, 2018

However, the defiant PUEA management said that it was free to enroll students pending a report from an independent three man special advisory committee formed by Matiang’i to look into the matter after PUEA appealed the decision.

“PUEA is operating within the Rules, Regulations and Guidelines of the Commission for University Education and the Laws of Kenya. In this regard, the institution wants to assure all students, staff, alumni, parents, sponsors and the general public that PUEA was never closed and that it is functioning normally in all activities including teaching and learning,” said the varsity’s Vice Chancellor John Mungania on June 28.

The committee’s findings have not been made public since and the university’s management has not issued further statements since June.

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