University students live to the limit while suspensions are closed

When Maxwell Odhiambo Magawi, a student at Nairobi University, was expelled in 2016 after the disputed student union elections, he had no idea what it would take to return to the institution to complete his studies.
Magawi, now a senior law student, says the university management kept him in the dark about his future and that he had to move to the Superior Court to ensure readmission after several months.
Its history reflects the plight of dozens of students across the country who have been expelled or suspended from universities, and institutions take years to conclude disciplinary hearings.
Some of the students have been away for three years and are not sure when they will return to complete their studies.
For those who can afford it, the intervention of the Superior Court has been their only recourse, but those without money have left their destiny in the hands of their respective institutions.
Most expelled or suspended students find it difficult to return home to confront their parents, therefore, they end up wasting their time in the neighborhoods of the institutions, doing strange jobs for a living.
JUDICIAL INTERVENTION
Some have resorted to drug use, while others have become thugs who are hired by the political class.
These students are also expelled from university shelters and are prohibited from accessing university facilities, including student centers.
Magawi admits that it was difficult to deal with a university administration that was so determined to destroy their education and future career.
He says he was expelled in 2016 while in second year, but managed to return to the institution in 2017.
After his return, he was again suspended only five months later, while he was in the third year.
However, he managed to return to the university once again after seeking another judicial intervention, is currently in fourth year and hopes to complete his law studies.
FRUSTRATIONS
Magawi admits that being suspended from college and staying out for years is a humiliating experience.
“When you return to university, there is a lot of resistance, especially from management and teachers. They always frustrate you to see how you react, ”he says, adding that obtaining transcripts of past units is always difficult, since one is carried in circles.
Ronny Otieno, also a student at Nairobi University, says that once suspended, a student always stays in the dark, not knowing when he will be removed from the market.
“Every time you appear before the disciplinary committee, you are always convicted. No one gives you a fair audience, ”says Otieno.
He says it may be a year before the university decides on the suspension. And if one is readmitted, he is required to report with a certificate of good police behavior.
"Being in the dark for a year, not knowing what will happen, is very discouraging because you are mentally disturbed," he says.
He says that many of his colleagues who meet the suspension or those who have been expelled generally decide to stay near Nairobi due to stigmatization in their country, because the community considers them failures.
SORRY
Byrone Mirodho, a Bachelor of Education student on the Kikuyu campus, University of Nairobi, was suspended in 2017 only for the suspension to be lifted a few months later, but with difficult conditions.
Mirodho was ordered to pay Sh86,000 for the damage he had caused. To date, you still have to raise the fine, therefore, stay out of college.
Magawi is asking interim vice chancellor Isaac Mbeche to forgive all students who were expelled or suspended and compensated.
“The new university administration needs to harmonize with the student community. Being suspended for three years while paying rent in Nairobi without a job is not easy, ”says Magawi, adding that those outside should have a second chance.
A law student from the University of Nairobi who asks
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