700 Million for Private Varsities Admitting State-Sponsored Students in September

By Jeremiah Wakaya

Twitter: @WakayaKE

The Government of Kenya has announced plans to admit Government-Sponsored Students to Private Universities. In a bid to increase access to university education in the country, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, through a taskforce constituted by Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in April this year, announced plans to sponsor 10,000 K.C.S.E 2015 candidates to pursue degree programmes through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (K.U.C.C.P.S) in various private varsities across the country.

The plan which has since taken effect with the current 2016/2017 year, will increase the number of students currently admitted through The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (K.U.C.C.P.S) from 74,389 to 84,389.Consequently, Degree cut-off points for Government Sponsorship have been lowered by two points to a B (Minus) of 58 points for boys and a B (Minus) of 56 points for girls.

In response to this The Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (K.U.C.C.P.S) created an online portal through which aspiring candidates were invited to apply from August 24, 2016 midnight until August 31 midnight in what has been seen as a move to admit the 10,000 students in good time before learning resumes in September.

This announcement comes as a major victory for private universities which have been championing for admission of government-sponsored students since 2013 following the enactment of the Universities Act 2012, which provided for the same.

While this may be a relief to thousands of students whose dreams have been hanging on the balance due to the sky rocketing cost of tertiary education in the country, thousands more will still be locked out of the premiere institutions. According to the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) 2015 results, 165,766 candidates attained the minimum university entry grade of C (Plus) and above. Out of this though, the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (K.U.C.C.P.S) has barely absorbed 100,000. One asks the question, what happens to the remaining 81,377 candidates?

It is important also to note at this juncture that admission into universities by KUCCPS has always been on merit. Good as that may sound, the truth is quite a number of students who benefit from these government sponsorships are from well to do families which could have easily afforded self-sponsored programmes both in private and public universities. On the flipside, the vast majority who are unable to put up with the cut-throat competition for government sponsorships are often left with no choice than to give up pursuing higher education.

And so as the country rejoices and commends the government for the efforts it is putting in increasing access to university education, many more fundamental issues remain to be addressed. How for instance do we promote equity in a society that has such huge disparities when it comes to the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘haves not’? How do we ensure that a peasant’s son or daughter who struggled against all odds in an ill equipped village day secondary school to get the minimum university entry mark gets enrolled in a university?

The government subsidy for government-sponsored students for instance is Kshs 70,000/- per student, which leaves the student with about Kshs 16,000/- to clear in a given semester. This brings the total investment to private universities by KUCCPS to Kshs 700 Million compared to about 49 Billion allocated to public universities from July.

Important to note here is the fact that a self-sponsored student in a public university parts with a sum of between Kshs 70,000/- to Kshs 90,000/- per semester or even more depending on a programme being undertaken. A similar case applies to self-sponsored students in private universities although these figures may be relatively lower of higher depending on the institution of higher learning. This therefore leaves the 81,377 students locked out of KUCCPS with no choice than to accept their fate and move on in life albeit without the all important key in life that is education.

Lastly, the seemingly hostile environment for self-sponsored students who have often been viewed as cash cows has often put them at a disadvantage over their government-sponsored counterparts. As a matter of fact, these students receive very poor services in most cases in public universities-often being frustrated while seeking services they truly deserve. Will the self-sponsored majority in private universities replicate the same to their government-sponsored colleagues? Are they likely to view them as intruders and therefore secondhand students? Maybe, maybe not. I guess time will tell.

Jeremiah Wakaya is a student at The University of Nairobi, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Media Studies. Contact him via jeremiahwakaya@students.uonbi.ac.ke

Writted by Jeremiah for a ZETECH COLLEGE PUBLICATION

 

 

Netanyahu Embarks on Africa Visit as Cabinet Approves 12.9 Million USD for the Continent

By Jeremiah WAKAYA| @WakayaKE

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu addresses reporters at Ben Gurion International Airport before departing for Africa.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has commenced his historic visit to Africa today in a move to boost ties with the continent.

The visit will see the PM set foot on four African countries, accompanied by about 80 businesspersons from over 50 Israeli companies who will be engaging the business communities in Kenya and Ethiopia where economic seminars will be held under the auspices of President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Ethiopian Prime Minister  Hailemariam Desalegn.

According to an official statement from Netanyahu’s press office, the tour which will see the premier visit Uganda,Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia will focus on strengthening economic links and cooperation with African countries. Prior to the commencement of the tour, the Israeli cabinet passed a NIS 50 Million plan, an equivalent of 12.9 Million USD to strengthen economic ties with the continent.

Countries to be visited by Netanyahu

Apart from strengthening of economic ties , Netanyahu’s delegation will discuss issues of cooperation on security and agriculture which are very key in the region that has been faced with security challenges arising from insurgents by the Somali based militants Al Shabaab.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to begin his tour in the continent in Uganda later today when his plane will touch down at Entebbe where he will be received by President Yoweri Museveni in an official ceremony with a 19-gun salute.

Netanyahu’s itinerary

Thereafter, he will proceed to mark 40 years since the Entebbe raid also known as Operation Thunderbolt otherwise nick named Operation Jonathan; a hostage-rescue mission by Israel Defense Forces commandos on 4 July 1976, an operation that saw 100 commandos rescue 102 Israeli hostages in a record 90 minutes.

During the raid, Netanyahu’s brother Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu who was the unit commander lost his life alongside 45 Ugandan soldiers while another five Israeli commandos were wounded in the operation.Only three hostages were killed in the operation that only took one week to plan.

The Israeli Premier will also have a diplomatic meeting with East African heads of states before leaving Uganda for Kenya where he will start his state visit and thereafter head to Rwanda before winding up his maiden tour to Africa in Ethiopia.

Among heads of states expected to attend the diplomatic meeting are the host Yoweri Museveni,Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta,Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, Ethiopian Prime Minister  Hailemariam Desalegn,President Edgar Lungu of Zambia and South Sudan’s Salva Kiir Mayardit.

President John Pombe Magufuli of Tanzania will be represented at the meeting by his foreign minister Dr. Augustine Philip Mahiga.

 

NMG Announces Rationalization as it Focuses on Digital Model

By Jeremiah WAKAYA| @WakayaKE

Nation Center

The Nation Media Group has today announced plans to rationalize its broadcasting division by merging the existing television and radio stations. In a press release dated 30^th June,2016, the media house took note of the changing trends in the manner in which its products have been consumed saying that the analysis suggested that NMG focuses on digital content in order to secure its current business while at the same time positioning itself for the future.

The media group which is owned by His Highness the Agha Khan has been hard hit by dropping share prices at the Nairobi Stock Exchange since the year 2015 when the share price plamented from Kshs 300/-  to about Kshs 200/- by the end of the year. In 2016 alone,the media house lost significantly up until yesterday when it recovered from its 52 week low of Kshs 130/- to close at Kshs 150/-.

NMG performance at the NSE

Today’s statement however steered clear of the plamenting share prices at the NSE perhaps in a bid to reassure investors of a brighter future ahead.According to the statement, NMG will now rationalize its television brands NTV and QTV into a single multi-lingual television under its flagship brand NTV. Similarly , the group will also be scaling down its Kenyan radio stations Nation FM and Q FM as well as the Rwandan K FM.

In the new digital strategy, the statement intimated that the broadcast divisions will keep an online presence by keeping live signals for its consumers. The statement however regrettably noted that there will be reduction of workforce at the Nation Center as a result of redundancies that will be occasioned by the implementation of the digital strategy that has since taken effect.

NMG Press Release

The company however remained tight-lipped on the fate of its print division consisting of  The Daily Nation and The Business Daily, which has maintained an online presence will at the same time churning out its print editions, despite the imminent reduction in popularity of print newspapers.

In December 2013, the group launched the DN e-paper app in collaboration with Safaricom with Business Daily launching its e-version in June 2014. On the other hand, rival local newspapers such as The People Daily and X News have in addition to their online versions opted to offer free news papers opting to rely on advertising alone as a source of income.

Globally, the changing dynamics occasioned by the rise of online news portals saw UK’s Independent newspaper quit its print publication on 20th March,2016, a move that resulted in 75 journalists being declared redundant. Among reasons cited by The Independent was a need to ensure a “sustainable and profitable future” for the company which had been struggling with heavy losses for years.

 

Embrace Social Media for Career Growth SOJ Students Told

By Jeremiah WAKAYA| @WakayaKE

Kenya Pipeline Company Limited Corporate Communications Manager Mr. Janson Nyantino

University of Nairobi’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SOJMC) students have been challenged to aggressively use social media as a tool for building their future careers in the media industry.

Speaking during a career talk at the school on June 16^th, 2016, Kenya Pipeline Company Limited Corporate Communications Manager Mr. Janson Nyantino said that journalism students are the future of the media industry and as such they are well placed to transform the society.

Mr. Nyantino, who was addressing the students on the productive use of social media for growth and development, emphasized on the need for journalism students to embrace social media saying it is a digital reality they cannot run away from. “Social media has made the global village a reality. Someone in Los Angeles already knows the happenings in Kenya even without setting foot in Kenya,” He said.

The Communications expert however cautioned against reckless use of social media platforms saying such carelessness could taint their image for life. “Your digital character determines your real character,” He added.

SOJ & MC students during the talk

 

Students were also urged to avoid controversies which may taint their reputation. Mr. Nyantino urged the students to instead conduct proper research on such matters to ensure that what they say is factual and objective enough to stand the test of time.

Nyantino told the students to also focus on building professional networks using sites such as LinkedIn to enable them to connect with other students and professionals in their field. He further urged the students to look beyond the local media industry by seeking for opportunities in international media organizations and grabbing such opportunities whenever they arise.

In conclusion, Mr. Nyantino challenged the students to come together and register companies that offer solutions on social media saying the industry has immense opportunities that remain untapped.

On his part University of Nairobi’s Journalism Students Association Chairman Waita Muoka urged the students to make good use of their time online in order to maximize the gains of digital journalism.

The career talk was also attended by the association’s Vice Chairperson Esther Mbaabu, Publicity Secretary Sebastian Musyoka, Secretary General Charles Omondi and Sports Secretary Samuel Munyao.

 

Combat Terrorism and War Mongers to Avert a Refugee Crisis

Opinion

By Jeremiah WAKAYA | @WakayaKE

The upsurge in the number of people fleeing war is with no doubt a testimony of an increasingly volatile world. From terrorism to ethnic clashes, the world has continued to watch as thousands of people flee from war. These great injustices have continued to occur despite the fact that bodies such as the United Nations – whose existence is primarily to ensure a peaceful world, continue to operate with albeit with great difficulty.

Such difficulties are evident in that fact that different UN organs established in 1945 are seen as toothless dogs that have often watch helplessly when counties and regions suffer from terrorism and ethnic chaos. What for instance is the use of a Security Council that has done little if anything at all to combat or support countries fighting terrorism? More and more territory has been left at the hands of blood-thirsty terrorists who have turned against fellow citizens, displacing and killing hundreds of thousands of people. These groups have also imposed dictatorial laws that infringe of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Of greater concern though is the somewhat success story of the UNHCR, The UN refugee body that has taken pride in alleviating pain for thousands of refugees in host nations. From provision of water to shelter, UNHRC has done but so much to support and help refuges. But for how long will innocent civilians continue to be refugees? My answer to this question is, “just temporarily.”

I hold the opinion that ultimately, the global community must act decisively to stem out terrorism and secure territories under the control of criminals and the so called jihad groups. By so doing we will help rebuild counties and provide an opportunities for refugees to go back to their countries of origin. Failure to do so only creates an opportunity for terror groups to turn territories they have seized into terror breeding grounds which ultimately have proven to have ripple effects on refugee host countries.

Take Kenya for instance; after opening its borders to hundreds of thousands of Somali’s fleeing war, the country has 25 years down the line been faced with numerous threats to what appears to be an enhanced Al-Shabaab. You will agree with me that Al-Shabaab continued to gain more ground in Somalia until the Kenyan military and later on AMISOM forces intervened.

This war has however received little support from the international community even as countries like Kenya continue to dig deep in its pockets to fund and sustain operation in Somalia since the beginning of Operation Linda Nchi on 16 October 2011.

The United Nations Secretary General Ban ki Moon during the recently concluded World Humanitarian Summit in Turkey admitted to the fact that “humanitarian action has been unprecedentedly strained” even as “political will” among nations continues to decline. Recently the European Union signed a deal with Turkey in efforts to deter an influx of refugees in its territory in exchange for financial support and political gain which would see Turkeys’ application for EU membership accelerated.

Truth be told, the welfare of citizens of any nation is the primary duty of any government. If today the Kenyan government feels refugee camps are a threat to the security of the nation then the world must not condemn the government. We should instead work to ensure Somalia is stable and safer for refugees to be repatriated in the most humanly manner possible.

One wonders when the government of Somalia objects to the repatriation of refugees knowing very well that Kenyan troops have worked tirelessly and paid dearly to pacify a great deal of the country’s territory. Somali official should instead work towards ensuring that those going back to Somalia are provided with land and security. In any case, the very government has continued to operate with help of foreign troops. The focus should now be on building capacity of Somalia security forces in anticipation of the exit of foreign troops which its parliamentarians have so shamelessly condemned in the past including recent threats to expel Kenyan troops.

The UN Security Council must therefore rise to the occasion and provide actionable measures that will see territory seized by terrorists across nations of the earth regained. Failure to do this will only see more and more territory fall into the hands of terror groups.