- JKUAT has directed students undertaking industrial attachment to urgently clear outstanding household fee balances before assessment.
- Students who fail to settle the arrears risk missing assessment and being required to repeat their industrial attachment.
- Affected learners are calling for flexible payment arrangements, arguing many have already incurred substantial attachment-related expenses.
Students at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) undertaking industrial attachment have been thrown into uncertainty after the institution directed those with outstanding household fee balances to clear them immediately or risk failing to complete the programme.
In a notice signed by Acting Registrar (Academic Affairs) Dr Aggrey Wanyama, the university said it had established that several students had proceeded for industrial attachment despite having outstanding household fee balances.
The affected students have been instructed to urgently settle the arrears, with the university warning that failure to do so will result in them not being assessed and being required to repeat the attachment at a later date.
The directive has sparked criticism from students and education stakeholders, who argue that the university should have addressed the outstanding balances before allowing affected learners to begin their attachment.
Students cite attachment expenses
Many students say they have already spent substantial amounts on relocation, accommodation, transport and daily living expenses after securing attachment placements, many of which offer little or no financial compensation.
Critics argue that had the university prevented students with outstanding balances from proceeding for attachment in the first place, they would have had an opportunity to seek alternative sources of income or make arrangements to clear the arrears before commencing the compulsory training.
“Most industrial attachments are unpaid, and students have already exhausted their savings relocating to different parts of the country. Expecting them to raise the money while on attachment is unrealistic,” one student said.
The university maintains that students with outstanding household fee balances must clear the arrears to qualify for assessment, failure to which they will be required to repeat their attachment.
Students seek flexible payment arrangements
The development has renewed debate over how universities should enforce fee payment requirements without disrupting students’ academic progress, particularly at a time when many learners continue to face financial challenges in financing their higher education.
Industrial attachment forms an important component of many university programmes, allowing students to gain practical workplace experience and apply knowledge acquired during their studies.
Being required to repeat the programme could therefore mean additional costs and potentially delay academic progression for affected students.
Students are now calling on the university administration to reconsider the directive by introducing flexible payment arrangements or granting a grace period to enable those already undertaking attachment to complete the programme without the risk of repeating it.
They argue that such an arrangement would allow the university to recover outstanding balances while protecting students from losing the time and resources already invested in their industrial attachment.
By Jeff Kirui
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