
Kenyatta University Students Protest, Demand Ownership of Teaching Hospital
Students from Kenyatta University took to the streets on Sunday, April 30, to demand that the Kenyan government transfer the ownership and management of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral & Research Hospital (KUTTRH) to the university.
The students argued that despite the hospital bearing a name similar to their university, they had not been given access to its facilities for educational purposes. The students also lamented that they had to walk to Kiambu Referral Hospital, which is 15 kilometres away, for treatment even though KUTTRH is closer.
They issued a two-week ultimatum to the government to transfer the hospital’s ownership and management to Kenyatta University or face unspecified action.
The students expressed concern that more than 2,000 medical students at the institution could be discontinued because they did not have the opportunities they needed to continue their education. They requested the government, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof.
Paul Wainaina, and the KU management board to surrender and return KUTTRH to Kenyatta University unconditionally. If the government could not give them the hospital, some of the students who participated in the protest demanded that the hospital’s name be changed.
The students also noted that there were no proper channels to inform them of internship and job opportunities at the hospital which they could take advantage of. They said that as medical students, they were not even allowed to do their medical electives at the hospital.
The students were saddened by the events at the hospital and felt they had lost the opportunity to access good research opportunities that Kenyatta University was known for.
In January 2019, the Kenyan President put the hospital as a parastatal under the Ministry of Health in a gazette notice, separating it from the university. This move meant that KUTTRH, as a parastatal, was no longer compelled to allow absolute accessibility to the university staff and students.
Kenyatta University Students Protest, Demand Ownership of Teaching Hospital