Kenyatta University A lack of housing security resulted in all of my research equipment being stolen. Nairobi Nairobi

The university placed a visiting scholar in a house that was known to burglarized frequently. My house was burglarized at night while I slept. The doors were locked. The burglar had knowledge of the layout of the house, and s/he could only have entered with a key. All of my research equipment was stolen.

When the burglary was reported to the security office on campus, their only question was why had I not locked the door. However, the doors were locked. In fact, a neighbor informed me that the place had been burglarized many times in the past.

The property has no gate on the fence, no grill guard on the door, and no security guard. Furthermore, the deputy vice-chancellor admitted that the a former visiting scholar who happened to be a friend had experienced a burglary when his daughter was visiting. The burglar made off with her laptop.

Security asked them why they had not locked the door, but the victims protested that they had locked the door. They said the burglar must have had a key. This perspective is mine as well. The burglar even entered my bedroom as I slept and stole my wrist watch from the sidetable next to my bed and took the computer backpack that was in my closet.

The university put a night watchman on the property afterwards and wrote a memo stating that a gate, a door grill, and new locks would be installed, but none of those actions have taken place yet. The delay could be a consequence of a lecturers' strike being in force for public universities across the country, but that is not my complaint.

My complaint is that they have a record of placing visiting scholars in unsecured housing. They had prior knowledge that the house is frequently burglarized. They house visiting scholars there despite the risk, and they will likely do it again in the future. They are not only negligent, they are also complicit.