The problems that cause the closures, however, always remain and keep festering at the institutions. The issue at the University of Nairobi, as was the case at Kenyatta, is accountability, which the administrators cannot run away from. If the part-time degree programmes are viable and useful for the university, and there are many reasons why they should be, the benefits that accrue from them need to be explained to the students. University administrators are accountable not just to the public, but to the students. It does not help to sweep the issues raised under the carpet by forgiving the destruction that results from rioting.
All students registered in public universities are adults of sound mind.
They are responsible citizens from whom society expects, and must receive, obedience to the law and respect for others' rights. They are liable in law, as is everybody else, for all their actions. It is one thing for students to hold peaceful demonstrations, but it is quite another for them to torch public and private property and expect to get away with it. It is a trend which the VCs cannot allow to take root. The problems that are erupting frequently in the universities need to be studied and the potential for violence and chaos forestalled.