Dear USIU-Africa Community,
As indicated in previous communication to you, the University has been planning a partial return to campus, based on the success that was noted during the Spring and Summer 2021 semesters, when the University had students who were taking their practical classes on campus. This, combined with the stringent COVID-19 mitigation protocols that the University has put in place have given us the confidence to announce that the University will reopen in the Fall (September) Semester to first and second year students.
This announcement recognizes the continued efforts by the campus community to follow campus health and safety protocols and comes as the university continues to take a cautious and incremental approach to its protocols in order to discharge its core mandate of teaching and learning while adapting to the dynamic situation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the key areas to note during the partial reopening include the following:
Class attendance:
The university will adopt a three pronged approach to learning in the Fall semester through a mix of face-to-face (for first and second year students), online and blended learning (a mix of both online and face-to-face delivery). To implement this, the University will take the following measures:

• The progressive implementation of face-to-face instruction will be continued. In this regard, all freshmen and sophomore (levels 1000 and 2000) courses as well as practical and lab-based courses will be offered face-to-face;
• Because of the Government mandated curfew which starts at 10:00 pm and ends at 4:00 am, all evening classes (those commencing from 5:00 pm) will be offered online;
• Appropriate provisions will be made to start co-curriculum activities commensurate to the number of students undertaking face-to-face learning.

Adherence to COVID-19 mitigation protocols:

The University continues to operate under the strictest adherence to all COVID-19 protocols. To support this, access to on campus activities will be done while keeping in mind the following:

• Entry to the library and other public places (auditorium, cafeteria, incubation center, offices, gym etc.) will be restricted to the approved capacity in line with COVID-19 protocols;
• The University will continue to strictly adhere to all Government health protocols issued through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and all institutional policies currently in place to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19. To this end, we encourage each one of you to ensure that you are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Updates regarding the reopening of the University will be shared frequently with you on your student emails, as well as on the University’s digital platforms, so ensure that you check them frequently and stay up to date. You can also contact your respective Deans for any additional information that you may require in regard to your studies in the Fall semester.

Should you have any questions or concerns about the planned reopening, please feel free to reach out to your respective School Dean, Chair of your Department and the Principal Academic Advisors in your School.

Prof. Munyae Mulinge,
Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs
Tel: +254 733 673 385 or 0716641619
Email: mmulinge@usiu.ac.ke