Confusion swept through Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) on Monday after a brief system malfunction caused several students to see zero balances on their fee statements, sparking widespread rumours of a large-scale system hack that allegedly wiped out outstanding school fees.
Screenshots showing cleared balances circulated rapidly on social media, with some users claiming that hackers had breached the university’s financial system and erased debts for graduating students. However, a technical assessment later revealed that the incident was caused by a frontend error — a temporary failure in the student portal’s display feature — rather than a breach of the institution’s database.
According to tech analysts who reviewed the issue, the portal briefly failed to load fee data, resulting in blank statements that appeared as cleared balances. The system began restoring correct figures soon after the error was detected.
JKUAT has not issued an official statement confirming any hack or the deletion of fees, and internal sources indicate that all student financial records remain intact.
Despite the clarification, the glitch has raised questions about the reliability of university digital systems, especially during a season when students are finalising payments ahead of graduation.
Kisasa News will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as more official communication becomes available.
