A video doing rounds on social media showing University of Nairobi students and a lecturer protesting being locked out of lecturer room at the university’s premises has caused an uproar.
In the video, a seemingly angry lecturer who has been identified as Dr Richard Bosire stated that they had been barred from accessing a room at the University of Nairobi Towers by Chinese students.
“What we are protesting is the Chinese locking students out of the facility with their lecturer. We cannot allow it!” Bosire lamented.
The entrance to the room from which the video of the protest was recorded from shows Chinese writings and decor on the walls.
“The Chinese claim they bought two floors in this tower. The university has given them land, they constructed Confucius Institute headquarters along Arboretum Road, which is a huge facility, perhaps on two acres of land, yet they are closing us out,” Bosire alleged.
“Where do they want us to go? Do they want us to learn under trees? Is it Chinese colonialism? They have gone too far.
“The Indians built Gandhi wing, donated it to the university in the early 70s, Unesco built Education building gave it to the university, many institutions donate to this university but the Chinese have come to grab this University. It is not right!” He lamented.
The move has seen netizens angrily react, expressing their disappointment in the University leadership.
However, the University of Nairobi through the director of corporate affairs has refuted the allegations that the building had two of its floors acquired by China, terming Bosire’s sentiments as personal and ill-motived.
“The Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi is not a property of the People’s Republic of China. The attached video by Dr. Bosire is misleading and ill-intentioned,” the statement by the director of corporate affairs read in part.
“His sentiments are personal and do not reflect the correct position,” it adds further stating that the students had been assigned a different lecture hall.