University of Nairobi explains deaths of six students

University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor Peter Mbithi

Six University of Nairobi (UoN) students have died in separate incidents in the last seven months.

The university's administration termed the deaths as accidental and out of their control as they declared their commitment to ensure students' security and safety. More than 200 were injured in the incidents.

UoN Vice Chancellor Peter Mbithi told the National Assembly that the students died between February and June.

Prof Mbithi named those who have died as Washington George Mwangi, Francis Maina Mwangi, Duncan Ndegwa Kabue, Martin Odwuor Adongo, Julius Omondi Omollo and Fetya Mohamed Yusuf.

The university wrote to the National Assembly Clerk saying Washington was hit by a speeding matatu while crossing University Way on February 21, 2015. He was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital where he died three days later.

Maina was the only student who died on April 12, 2015 in a stampede at the Kikuyu Campus. Dozens of other students were injured in the incident that happened after an underground electric cable next to the college hostels exploded three times, making students assume it was a terror attack.

The letter says Kabue died on May 26 after he fell from the third floor of their hostels after he and five others had had drinks.

"The students had contributed Sh350 each and sent their two colleagues to a supermarket where they bought 750ml of brandy after which they converged at the roof top of Hall Eight to enjoy the drink," the letter partly read.

Mbithi said Kabue sat on the edge of the roof, tipped down and fell, landing on his head.

Adongo, a Wildlife Management student, drowned in the swimming pool of the Kenya Science Campus along Ngong Road. He and his colleagues were attending a session on survival techniques when he drowned.

Omollo and Yusuf were killed on June 20 at the university hostels by fellow students in a mob-lynching incident. It was then reported that the two had robbed their colleague of a laptop and Sh200 before an alarm was raised, alerting others who were sleeping.

Efforts by the university security to rescue the two were futile.

"Security officers at the scene called for reinforcement from their colleagues at Main Campus who responded promptly and arrived in a vehicle. The students pelted the security vehicle with stones and it had to be driven away," says the letter dated July 7.