News / University of Bristol
Kenyan academic working at Bristol Uni denied visa for six-year-old daughter
A Kenyan researcher working at the University of Bristol cannot bring her young daughter to live with her in the UK after her visa application was denied.
Dr Doseline Kiguru, an expert in African literature, was looking forward to starting a permanent position in Bristol and reuniting with her daughter who remains in Kenya.
But, as the Observer reports, Kiguru’s application to live with her daughter in the UK was declined, meaning the six-year-old cannot move to the UK to live with her mother.
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Kiguru said she was “devastated” by the “horrific” decision to ban her daughter from moving to the UK and could not bear “to think about how alone and isolated she is feeling” back in Kenya.
Kiguru is a lecturer in world literatures – photo: University of Bristol
Kiguru first came to Bristol in 2021 as a research associate on a project on literary activism in Africa.
It involved her spending long periods conducting field work in Kenya so the family decided it was not necessary to uproot her daughter.
When she was offered a permanent lecturer position, she and her husband decided to move their daughter to Bristol. Kiguru’s husband, also an academic, cannot look after his daughter because he travels a lot for research.
But the visa application for their daughter, who has already been enrolled into a primary school in Bristol, was rejected in October and the family now has one week left to appeal.
In a statement, the English department at the University of Bristol said: “We’re horrified to hear that our brilliant, dedicated colleague Dr Doseline Kiguru has been denied a UK visa for her six-year-old daughter. Doseline’s a fantastic teacher – many of our followers will have benefitted from her guidance.”
Lecturer Rachel Murray said she was “disgusted by the Home Office’s treatment” of Kiguru, who she described as a “brilliant” colleague, and called for the decision to be reversed “immediately”.
A Home Office spokesperson said they did not comment on individual cases but added: “All visa applications are considered on their individual merits in accordance with the immigration rules.”
Main photo: Doseline Kiguru
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