News and Views on Africa from Africa
Last update: 1 July 2022 h. 10:44
Subscribe to our RSS feed
RSS logo

Latest news

...
Monday 17 July 2015

Kenya: Don Condemns Tribal Gatherings in Varsities

Professor William Mbugua, who lectures sociology at Mount Kenya University’s (MKU) main campus, observed that tribal and regional groupings are a hindrance to national cohesion.

By Staff Writer

A University Don has challenged Kenyan university managers and the government to ban tribal and regional associations in universities among students and staff to enhance national cohesion and integration.

Professor William Mbugua, who lectures sociology at Mount Kenya University’s (MKU) main campus, observed that tribal and regional groupings are a hindrance to national cohesion. He mentioned that such groupings in universities in the country are a disgrace to national cohesion and integration goals by the Government and other stakeholders.

He challenged university managers, the government and stakeholders to consider outlawing tribal and regional associations in universities so as to create high standards of social capacity development in the country. Prof. Mbugua stated that universities being a national higher learning institutions and research centres must provide guidelines and motivation to society in a bid to uphold unity.

 “We cannot keep on dividing the nation into regions and tribes when we are supposed to disseminate meaningful information and knowledge on social integration” argued Prof Mbugua.

He added that the increasing level of tribalism in the country has led to polarization of communities, posing potential security challenges in Kenya.

Tribal groupings should be replaced with Kenya inter-county cultural exchange program from high school to university level. According to Linda Tarus, a student at the University of Nairobi, tribal and regional associations bring about a sense of belonging in terms of culture.

She noted that it enhances cultural identity. She added that Kenya would be a good role model to other countries if everyone was able to interact, travel, work and travel in all corners of the country without being bothered by their backgrounds and communities.

According to Miss Tarus, attainment of national cohesion and integration is a duty of all citizens and should not be left as preserve of the government alone.

Incidents of tension have been witnessed across Kenyan higher learning institutions on several occasions thus the need to ban tribal groupings in this growing country. Kenya, like most east African countries should focus on economic development and enhancement of security and disband tribalism. And where best to nature national cohesion than in universities where young minds from Kenya and other regions in Africa come to be molded into what they were meant to be. However, tribalism has decreased tremendously in the country for the past 3years perhaps because of the past losses incurred due to tribal clashes.

Contact the editor by clicking here Editor