East African universities

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by chrisjm18, Jun 18, 2022.

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  1. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I am currently in Rwanda. I wanted to visit three universities here: the University of Rwanda, Carnegie Mellon University Africa, and the University of Kigali.

    I went to the Gikondo Campus (Kigali City) of the University of Rwanda, College of Business and Economics. Here, there are many campuses across the country but the campuses are broken down by disciplines. The campus I went to is only for business and economics majors. The main campus is about 3.5 hrs away from Kigali where I'm staying.

    I didn't get to CMU Africa because it was a good 35 minutes away. They have a really beautiful campus and I wanted to see it firsthand. https://www.africa.engineering.cmu.edu/

    I also didn't visit the University of Kigali because it's situated in a building near the roadway. It's not the typical university with many buildings on campus. However, I got to take some pics at UR and UoK (while driving by).

    Here are a few pics. I plan to visit a few universities in Uganda next week and Kenya the following week. I'm sure some of you are probably familiar with U.S. International University in Nairobi. That's one of the schools I plan to visit
     

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  2. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    Cool!
     
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  3. LevelUP

    LevelUP Active Member

    Those are some nice pictures.
     
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  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    So... what's the goal of your trip?
     
  5. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    Just a summer vacation to explore some of the continent, do touristy stuff and visit some universities on the days when I don't have any trip advisor experiences booked.
     
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  6. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I wasn't supposed to visit Makerere University, the oldest higher education institution in Uganda, until Thursday. However, tonight I was doing a street food tour on boda boda (motor bike). We were closeby the university, so my guide walked me to the entrance. I still plan to go on campus and see the buildings.
    IMG-20220621-WA0031.jpg
     
  7. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    Makerere University dubbed the "Harvard of Africa," is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary. Its alumni include several prominent former and current African presidents. I am shocked at how such a university has been allowed to deteriorate to its current point. The university closed three times between 2006 and 2016.

    During my tour today, I realized that some of the buildings were in disrepair, especially the dorms. Some of the buildings were fine.

    Here is an article about Makerere's ongoing woes.

    Hard times for ‘Harvard of Africa’

    https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2005/nov/18/guardianweekly.guardianweekly1
     

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  8. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    How does one find their way to East Africa @chrisjm18?

    I mean logistically, do you need visas for the countries you're visiting in advance or do you just hop a plane? Have you visited before (it sounds like yes?)

    Appreciate the pics!
     
  9. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    There is something "spiritual" when visiting universities.
    For many years, one of things my wife and I do is when we visit new state or country to visit university campuses and get the impressions.
    This became a habit.
    This started before I had children and still goes on with youngest kid being 26 years old.

    It started with me being very young boy maybe age of 7 or 8, in our home town of Chernivtsi in Ukraine.
    My mom took me to visit what was called the Residence (At one point former residence of Polish pans, and a university established by Austria. One hundred years after the affiliation of Bukovina to the Austrian monarchy, the Franz-Josephs-Universität was inaugurated on 4 October 1875 (the name day of the emperor) on the basis of the Czernowitz Higher Theological School)

    My plans in 2020 to re-visit Chernivtsi was disrupted by Covid pandemic, and now war in Ukraine.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernivtsi_University
    [​IMG]
     
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  10. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member


    This site is pretty good for staying up to date on what you need to visit each country: https://www.passportindex.org/comparebyPassport.php?p1=us I would confirm with additional research, especially with possible border closures due to covid, but I've not yet found it to be wrong. It looks like Kenya and Uganda both require American citizens to obtain some sort of electronic visa.
     
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  11. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    If I was traveling on my Jamaican passport, I would not require a visa for either of the countries (Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya) I'm visiting. However, since I used a U.S. passport, a visa is required. You can either apply before arriving or on arrival. I opted for the East African Tourist Visa, which is issued jointly by Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. The cost is $100 and it allows you to travel between these countries multiple times for 90 days. You apply to the country you're gonna enter first. In my case, it was Rwanda. I got my approval letter by email. I printed it and presented it on arrival and they stamped the visa on my passport.

    I have attached a pic of the visa.
     

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  12. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I had a bad experience with Kenyan immigration. I had to pay 15,000 KES plus $100 to the corrupt lady for entry. Initially, she wanted $300, but I said $150. I went to count the 15k (KES) in the bathroom. I knew she was talking trash about my visa because I checked online. I returned to her and told her I'd head to the U.S. She canceled the stamp, but they would send me back to Uganda. It would be more to make all the changes with my flight to the U.S. and cancel all my plans (most of which were fully refundable or partially (Airbnb)). Anyway, I told her to reconsider, but she was playing hard. So, I offered 15k (KES) and $100. She even gave me her # to text her when I'm heading to the airport next week. She claims she will ensure I have no issues. Her supervisor was equally corrupt. I will NEVER revisit Kenya. I experienced no extortion from government officials in Rwanda and Uganda. I will definitely come back to the African continent though!
     
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  13. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    That's too bad about Kenya. The funny thing is, I think I've heard more about Uganda and Rwanda being corrupt than Kenya.
     
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  14. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    I was expecting that in Uganda, not so much Rwanda. However, Kenya shocked me. But if you check online, corruption is widespread in Kenya. Sadly, it's widespread on the continent.
     
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  15. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    Kenya is the last of the three countries I'm visiting. I did not have any luck being admitted to the main campus of the University of Nairobi. The security officers say they do not just allow people on campus (I experienced this when I tried to visit TN State University). Anyway, the security lady said she could go through the chief of security to get permission but it wouldn't be today. Since it's not that serious, I'll leave it alone. I got some outer pictures. BTW, Nairobi is a very developed city. Sadly (IMO), it's very westernized. I don't feel like I am in Africa because I saw no African dressing. The people are just as unfriendly as you'd find in NYC.

    Anyway, I also took pictures from the rooftop of my apartment, which overlooks Kenyatta University School of Law. I also took pics from the ground. In addition, I drove by Tangaza University College, Kenya Methodist University (across from the University of Nairobi), Daystar University, and the Catholic University of East Africa.
     

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  16. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I've never found New Yorkers to be as unfriendly as their reputation.

    (Then again, I'm from the D.C. area.)
     
  17. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    Sadly, that's been my experience. Still, NYC is my favorite place to visit multiple times a year. Most of my family is there.
     
  18. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    That's named for Jomo "Burning Spear" Kenyatta, right? I remember reading a bit about him as a boy about 9 or so, when there was much news of Kenya and Mau Mau activities in the UK media. I thought "Wow, Burning Spear is a really impressive name!" I wanted to change my name (John) to Jomo! Mr. Kenyatta ultimately served first as Prime Minister, then as President of Kenya, when it became a republic. A man who greatly advanced the cause of his people - the Kikuyu.

    That's a terrific holiday you chose, Chris!
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2022
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  19. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    What happened at Tennessee State University?
     
  20. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    Unlike most colleges where you can just walk onto the campus, the security at TSU said they don't just allow people on campus without a legitimate reason.
     
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