Student representatives mourn the victims of the Endarasha tragedy and suspend demonstrations because of new funding model

The suspension comes as the nation mourns the students who lost their lives in the fire.

Led by Rocha Madzao, President of the University of Nairobi Students' Union, student representatives condemned the Ministry of Education for its failure to ensure security in schools.

“It is sad that such incidents still happen in this century. We mourn as comrades alongside Kenyans,” Rocha said, expressing his deep sadness over the deaths.

While the focus of the politicians' statements was on the Endarasha tragedy, they also used the opportunity to criticise the new model of university funding introduced by the government.

Rocha said the new system excludes many needy students from financial support, putting their education at risk. He stressed that the protests had been suspended out of respect for the mourning period, but would resume once the country had finished mourning.

“We urge those who are sent home due to non-payment of fees to contact us. We will contact their respective universities after the mourning period to resolve the matter once and for all,” Rocha added.

Naomi Chebet, president of the Kenya Methodist University Students' Union, shared Rocha's concerns and called on the government to scrap the new funding model. Chebet argued that despite its shortcomings, the previous system was still better than the current approach, which she described as “impractical”.

“If the old funding model was not sustainable, then the new one is impractical,” she said. Chebet criticised the government for ignoring the concerns of student leaders, despite several meetings with the Ministry of Education and the President. She confirmed that students would resume their protests against the new model once the mourning for the Endarasha victims was over.

The government's new funding model for higher education, which sorts students into four categories – vulnerable, extremely needy, needy and less needy – has sparked widespread controversy. Critics, including student leaders, argue that it leaves out many vulnerable students, particularly those from middle-income families who can barely afford higher education but are not eligible for significant government support.

Concerns have also been raised about the implementation of the model, alleging inefficiency and insufficient consultation with key stakeholders.