Restricting travel of academic staff an unconstitutional affront to academic freedom

Terminal 1A at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (photo: courtesy)

We have a problem. On Sunday evening, a distinguished academic was stopped by immigration officials at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The professor was on her way to a crucial annual global conference, part of a multi-million shilling research project she leads and which includes a well established network of local and international scholars. At the immigration desk, she was asked to produce letters from the Office of the President authorising the trip. She was stunned. For the last two decades, Sunday marked the first time she heard that authority from the President was needed to pursue academic interests. Something somewhere is wrong.