More than 50 Kenyan students and scholars at Harvard University can now breathe a sigh of relief after a US court halted a directive that would have forced them out of the institution.

The ruling followed the Trump administration’s move to revoke Harvard’s authority to enroll non-American learners through the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP).

 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had earlier ordered  the immediate termination of Harvard’s SEVP certification.

The move would have blocked the university from admitting new international students and required existing ones to transfer or risk losing their legal immigration status.

Data from Harvard’s International Office indicates the university currently hosts 41 Kenyan undergraduate students and five researchers. More Kenyans are expected to join the Ivy League institution this year.

Among them are several beneficiaries of the Wings to Fly scholarship by Equity Group Foundation, which supports top KCSE performers from disadvantaged backgrounds.

On Friday, Harvard filed a lawsuit in the District Court for the District of Massachusetts, seeking to block the DHS directive.

The university argued the action was a retaliatory response to its refusal to comply with politically motivated demands on curriculum content, faculty hiring, and admissions.

“The government’s actions are unlawful, in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject demands to control its governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students,” the complaint reads.

The court filing reveals that an April 11 letter from DHS directed Harvard to audit each department for “viewpoint diversity,”

They also sought to ban students perceived as “hostile to American values,” and disband groups like the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee.

“Harvard’s refusal led to immediate punitive actions, including the SEVP revocation,” the complaint states.

The university warned that over 10,158 international students—about 25 per cent of its total enrollment—were at risk of deportation or forced transfer.

“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body. Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the complaint notes.

According to institutional data, the number of Kenyan students and scholars at Harvard has remained steady in recent years (see data above). On Friday, Kenyan alumnus of Harvard condemned the decision.

Former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana described the directive as a blow to academic freedom.

“Harvard is a place for free thinkers—conservative, liberal, and radical—all united by the pursuit of knowledge.’’ To restrain that and demand ideological conformity does a disservice not only to the institution but to the global community,” said Prof Kibwana.

Economist and 2008 alumnus Ken Gichinga expressed hope that the situation would be resolved.

“International students bring fresh perspectives. This is a huge blow to the university, but we expect dialogue will prevail and things will return to normalcy,” Gichinga said.