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Government's plan to expel those who do not pay higher fees fuels protests
NAIROBI, KENYA
IN THE FACE of mounting student unrest, the government of Kenya shut down Kenyatta University and all four campuses of the University of Nairobi last week.
The order to close the institutions, immediately and indefinitely, was enforced by paramilitary police, who used tear gas and clubs to flush students out of dormitories and classrooms, where final examinations were under way. Witnesses saw students being clubbed and whipped by the police as they tried to leave the main campus of the University of Nairobi in the center of the capital.
Before the closings, students in Kenya had mounted an assault on the government's plans to expel those who do not pay higher university fees.
But their actions came at a time of increased political tension and mounting violence before general elections, which are to be held by the end of the year. A national reformist movement, pressing for constitutional changes before the elections, has been gaining momentum, and the government has responded with force. Nine people, including at least one student, were killed last week when riot police and paramilitary units broke up rallies in Nairobi and several towns. Scores were injured in Kenya's worst violence in years.
A number of student leaders are active in the pro-reform campaign, and the campuses had been experiencing a revival of political radicalism.
President Daniel arap Moi has accused opposition politicians of fueling discontent at the universities. He has warned Kenyan youth to ignore the "incitement" of opposition parties seeking to "cause chaos."
CONTROVERSIAL LOAN PLAN
Last week's violence followed three days of rioting this month by students opposed to the rising cost of higher education and their limited ability to pay for it.
Discontent has simmered on the campuses since a controversial student-loan system was introduced by the government last year. But the most recent protests were in reaction to the government's plan to expel students who do not pay their fees. The provision was included in a new Higher Education Bill.
Student leaders have complained that most undergraduates cannot afford the higher fees, and that the government is promoting a "society of illiterates."
Criticism of the proposed Higher Education Bill has...