University of Nairobi (UoN) students are up in arms over the dire state of their living quarters. Led by the UoN Student Association (UNSA), students are demanding immediate action from the university administration to address issues like poor sanitation, hygiene, and infrastructure.
UNSA President Rocha Madzao, along with other student leaders, held a press briefing on Sunday, April 21st, highlighting the unacceptable living conditions students are forced to endure. Leaky roofs, flooding due to inadequate drainage, and overall substandard facilities are creating an unhealthy and unsafe environment.
“As the governor of the main campus, I’m here to express my concern and disappointment at the appalling conditions of the students’ hostels,” said one student leader.
“The current state of these facilities is not conducive to the well-being and safety of the students. It’s unacceptable for the students to be subjected to filthy living conditions which include inadequate sanitation, poor hygiene standards and dilapidated infrastructure. I urge the UON to take immediate and decisive action to address this pressing issue.”
Echoing these sentiments, another representative pointed out the problems with the drainage systems:
“The students are experiencing a problem in terms of the drainage condition, their rooms are leaking from their roofs, and we find a lot of flooded rooms. We are training doctors to treat patients, architects to build our environment, we are not training deep sea divers. I want to call upon the management of the school to mitigate such issues, failure to which, In 48 hours, we are calling the whole of UON that every business should come to a standstill and we are going to express the power of the comrade.”
In a letter addressed to all students on Saturday, April 20, UNSA President Madzao had called for an urgent press meeting to address the pressing issue of hostel conditions. Madzao emphasized the importance of collective engagement in finding solutions to ongoing challenges.
“It has come to the attention of the administration that the conditions in the hostels are substandard, and despite previous reports, no action has been taken to address these issues,” the letter stated.
“In light of this, I am calling for an urgent press meeting at 7:00 PM today to address this matter. We must come together as a community to discuss the ongoing challenges and to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to improve the living conditions in the hostels. Your presence and active participation in this meeting are highly appreciated as we work towards finding solutions to these pressing issues. Your voices matter, and together, we can bring about the necessary change for a better living environment in our hostels.”
