Multimedia University girl seen climbing the gate as she jumped down successful during protest over delayed disbursement of HELB funds

According to information, the identity of the female student of Multimedia University who jumped the gate hasn’t been ascertained. 

Traffic along Magadi Road in Kajiado County was on Tuesday morning paralysed as Multimedia University students went up in arms against the college’s administration and the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).

Students blocked the road outside their school gate, accusing the varsity of closing the student portal before they had completed registering for this semester’s classes.

They also complained of missing marks for the graduating class of 2023 and a delay in the disbursement of HELB funds for continuing students.

“Student leaders, you are sleeping. You are wasting the constituents who elected you. You must wake up, you must come out, you must call for demonstrations,” he urged.

While advocating for peaceful protests, Owino cautioned against damaging public or school property during demonstrations. “Never destroy school property, never destroy any property of the public. Just hold peaceful demonstrations and let it be on a daily basis,” he advised.

Notably, Owino, who formerly served as the president of the Kenya Universities Students Organization (KUSO) before his election to parliament, recalled that during his tenure, HELB funds were consistently released on time.

Some students who spoke to Nairobi News claimed that their results have been delayed, yet they are supposed to graduate later this month.

“Graduation is coming on October 27, 2023, yet some of us are yet to get our results, how long does it take to release them,” one of the students wondered.

Local authorities were yet to arrive at the scene to contain the situation as students, in their hundreds, blocked the road, hurled rocks, and set bonfires along the busy stretch.

This sudden strike comes at a time when Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has made a public call for HELB to expedite the disbursement of funds to students.

The parliamentarian directed his appeal to the Treasury Cabinet Secretary, Prof. Ndung’u, urging swift collaboration with HELB to ensure the immediate release of funds.

“Move with speed and release money to comrades in various universities. HELB must never delay. This money is very little and it is never sufficient, and furthermore, you are delaying it,” he asserted.

Furthermore, Owino called upon student leaders across the country to rally for the release of these funds.