Kenya Police inaction over UoN riots worrying

The University of Nairobi administration has suspended 132 students said to be the masterminds behind the riots that rocked the institution last week. This followed contested elections in which the Students' Organisation of Nairobi University (Sonu) elected its officials.

Two days of riots in which rowdy students set an office on fire, stoned motorists and injured pedestrians led to the closure of the university and its constituent colleges. That action was timely in containing wanton destruction. It has since emerged the riots were not entirely about the elections outcome, but rather, were instigated by specific students who the chairman of National Authority for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse, John Mututho, claimed reside in hall 9 of the university and are a notorious conduit for drug peddlers on the campus. The students, according to Mr Mututho, have the backing of some police officers. Such claims cannot be taken lightly.