Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna was turned away at the gate of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology’s Karen campus on Thursday, September 17, 2026 after the university’s administration abruptly cancelled a student forum he had been invited to address.

Sifuna said he had been invited by the university’s student leadership to speak at their inaugural Law, Policy and Governance forum, only to arrive and find the main gate closed with security preventing him and his team from entering.

“We came to JKUAT Karen on the invitation of the student leadership for their Inaugural Law, Policy and Governance forum, but the Administration has abruptly ‘cancelled’ the event and denied us access to the institution. Totally uncalled for,” he said.

Students who had also been waiting outside were initially kept out before some were later allowed onto the campus.

In a video shared at the scene, a university official told students gathered at the gate that the event had been postponed over fears of student unrest, and that those involved would be invited back at a later date.

“We don’t want students to cause chaos. We have postponed the meeting; then we will invite them again later,” the official said.

The absence of several professors was also cited as a reason for the postponement.

The circumstances surrounding the decision to block Sifuna’s entry were not immediately clear, and JKUAT’s administration had not publicly identified the official who ordered the cancellation or indicated when the forum would be rescheduled.

In a follow-up post, Sifuna reflected on what he described as a troubling climate of fear around public events and announced plans to invite the JKUAT student leadership to the Senate to continue the conversation.

“There is just fear everywhere, but a bold new generation must rise and reclaim their country. This is why we continue to preach the values in the preamble of our Constitution, most importantly, freedom,” he said.

“I’ll be returning the courtesy by inviting you and your fellow students to the Senate so that the conversation can continue,” he added, thanking the Governor of the Students Association Karen Campus, Graham Mboya, for the original invitation.