Varcity VC recalls brutal ambush

Former students of Garissa University College queue at the Moi University Main Campus students' centre in Eldoret. Students from the university were admitted to Moi University to continue with their studies after an attack on their institution by Al Shabaab militia. 24-03-2016. PHOTOS BY: KEVIN TUNOI

Moi University will today hold a memorial ceremony to remember those who perished in last year’s terror attack at the Garissa University Campus.

Vice Chancellor Prof Richard Mibey said they will use the occasion to commemorate and honour those who died during the terror attack.

“We shall use the anniversary to thank God for those who survived and pray that such an attack never happens again. To the perpetrators, we ask the Almighty God to forgive them and give them a human heart to understand that we are all children of one God with the same feeling and they should stop inflicting pain on innocent people,” said the VC.

Since the Garissa University Campus is a constituent college of Moi University, survivors of the attack were transferred to the Eldoret based institution to complete their studies.

Several activities have been lined up for the commemorative day. Local leaders are expected to grace the memorial, Mibey said.

“The survivors will tell their story and highlight how best we can help them heal from the incident,” he said. “Most of them are still in shock after the ordeal.”

Prof Mibey said April 2, 2015 will go down as one of the worst days in his life. “The victims and survivors underwent a terrible experience. I could hear gunshots and wails in the background as I was being informed of the heinous attack on the phone,” he recalled.

The VC said the incident awakened the emergency preparedness at the institution and they no longer leave anything to chance. He said everyone must undergo a security check before being allowed into Moi University or any of its satellite campuses.

“Security is now a big concern to us and we have invested a lot into it. I have ensured all emergency exits and doors at our campuses are clearly marked and easily accessible for swift evacuation in case of a crisis,” said the VC.

But even with the new security measures at learning institutions, Marakwet East MP Kangogo Bowen criticised the government for reopening the university yet the area is still not safe especially for non-locals.

The MP. who lost his cousin Koskei Bushen during the attack, said the pain is still fresh in his mind and that of other Kenyans who lost loved ones. “147 was just not a number. What does it mean to the victims’ families and relatives when the government reopens a place where their loved ones were brutally killed? It will traumatise them more,” said the MP.

Mr Bowen asked the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) not to send students to terror prone areas until the Al Shabaab threat has been eliminated.

“We lost five students from Elgeyo Marakwet County. We hope the families will come to terms with the sad event,” he said.

For the family of Charity Kipsanai, a survivor, the name Garissa will forever serve as a constant reminder of the pains their daughter endured in the hands of the attackers.

Mark Kipsanai, her elder brother, said even though they are thankful she survived the attack, their thoughts are with the families of those killed.

“We thank God that my sister escaped the ordeal. We will join other survivors to remember those who perished. It is by grace she survived and we are grateful,” he said.

Kipsanai asked the government to enhance its intelligence and security coordination to ensure the Al Shabaab is permanently neutralised.

“The government should synchronise its security apparatus so that extremists are dealt with accordingly before they unleash terror on innocent Kenyans,” he implored.

Victims of the attack were young bright Kenyans who had gone to seek knowledge to better their lives. Their unfulfilled dreams were brutally extinguished by ruthless gun toting terrorists in a terror attack that shocked the world.