Rioting varsity students paralyse business in towns, city

By Standard Team

Kenya: Learning ground to a halt in public universities across the country as students took to the streets to protest against an alleged plot to increase tuition fees.

Police engaged in running battles with the protesters after the demonstrations, which the students had promised would be peaceful, turned chaotic.

In Nairobi, major businesses remained closed yesterday as police lobbed teargas canisters at a section of University of Nairobi (UoN) students who engaged them in running battles.

More than 100 students were arrested during the protests in the city and taken to Central police station. Police said some of them may be taken to court today.

Some motorists reported that they were attacked and robbed by the students.

Police battled the students at the UoN main campus as parts of Uhuru Highway and University Way remained blocked for several hours. Motorists were being diverted to use other routes disrupting traffic flow.

The protesters said they were angered by increment of fees and reduction in the maximum loan given to students by the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb). According to the student leaders, the Government is planning to double the fee for regular students, which currently stands at Sh28,000 per year.

But Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi reiterated that the Government had not increased tuition fees for public universities.

Earlier, there was tension in Nairobi’s Central Business District after police said they would not allow the students to hold a procession as earlier planned.

Nairobi police said they had information the students had been infiltrated by criminals.

“We told them to call off their strike because some of the participants were thieves,” said Nairobi deputy police boss Moses Ombati.

The group dispersed causing tension and fears in the CBD as they ran shouting anti-Jacob Kaimenyi slogans. Tens of riot police were positioned at various places ready to confront the students. Some officers barricaded Jogoo House, the headquarters of Ministry of Education, where the students planned to congregate and deliver their message.

More officers were at Parliament Buildings where police lobbed teargas at the students to disperse them.

Students Organisation of Nairobi University (Sonu) chairman Babu Owino told motorists to keep off University way, Nairobi CBD, Moi Avenue, Parklands, Kikuyu Road and Thika Superhighway.

There were more teargas canisters lobbed at the protesters near the UoN main campus, Kimathi Street and near Central police station where the students attempted to congregate.

The student leaders had warned motorists to keep off major roads leading to the city centre due to yesterday’s nationwide students’ demonstrations.

Tension remained high at the Kenyatta University gate. The students had been advised against protesting in circular issued by Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof John Okumu (Academic) saying no public university had been informed of the planned increase of the fees.

 In Machakos, several people were injured when police clashed with students of Machakos University College.

The officer fired severally in the air and lobbed teargas canisters to disperse the more than 500 rowdy students who were hurling stones at them.

Among those injured were passersby who were caught up in the melee and clobbered by the police alongside the protesters.

The students started the demonstration from the college at about 9am and walked towards Machakos town 1km away blocking the Machakos-Makueni Road.

Residents going about their normal business were beaten up after the students, who defied police orders to return to the college, intermingled with them. Machakos OCPD Hillary Birgen, however, said no one was reported seriously injured during the confrontation.

Elsewhere, a Standard Group van was among vehicles that were stoned by Maseno University main campus students during yesterday’s riots.

The vehicle’s windscreen was shattered as the rowdy students pelted motorists and journalists who had gone to cover the protests with stones. Journalists had taken cover at the local Administration Police camp when the students stormed as the armed officers watched from a distance.

The officers from Maseno Station were forced to dialogue with student leaders, who helped calm down their colleagues before they caused more damage.

The students blocked Kisumu-Busia Road for close to five hours. Motorists caught up in the mayhem were “taxed” by the students before they were allowed to continue with their journey.

Led by the university students’ chairman Charles Juma, the over 2,000 students urged the Government not to increase fees or lower the student loans.

“With inflation and a rotting Kenyan economy, we would expect Helb to increase the loan by 200 per cent and not reduce it,” said Juma.

Political activists

In Kakamega, protesting Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology students disrupted business in the town and also at the county government offices. They stormed the county offices demanding to be addressed by Governor Wycliffe Oparanya. They were, however, re directed to the county commissioner’s office to lodge their grievances as the governor was not in his office.

Masinde Muliro University Students’ Organisation chairperson Bill Clinton Owiti said education in the country would become expensive if the fees is increased and vowed that students would not sit back and watch as “education standards deteriorate”.

In Nakuru, police were forced to lob teargas canisters to disperse demonstrating Egerton University students.

The officers dispersed the students near the Town Campus moments after they had started marching towards the central business district.

 The students scampered for safety before regrouping at Nyayo Gardens where police used more teargas to flush out Students Union of Egerton University (Sueu) leaders who were addressing journalists.

Businesses along Kenyatta Avenue were closed hurriedly as traders,   caught up in the melee, moved to secure their premises.

 Police sources indicated the move to swiftly disperse the students followed fears that some political activists were planning to infiltrate the protests to counter a pro-Jubilee demonstration held in the town on Monday.

 Nakuru Town campus chairman Arnold Martin said students would resist any plans to raise fees and lower the Helb loan.

Meanwhile, Mombasa police thwarted an attempt by dozens of Technical University of Mombasa students to demonstrate citing terrorism fears.

Armed police charged after the placard-waving students and lobbed teargas canisters at them to disperse them back to the campus which is situated in Tudor.

They retreated to the university cursing and accusing the police of infringing on their constitutional right to picket. Police barricaded the university and said the students could only be allowed to protest within the institution’s compound.

Benmark Ng’ang’a, a student leader, complained that they were being denied the right to demonstrate peacefully despite obtaining a permit from Makupa Police Station.

“It is the police who will push us into rampage. We are protesting for our rights peacefully and they unreasonably engage us without even understanding our motives,” said Ng’ang’a.

University of Nairobi students Mombasa Campus, however, managed to take to the streets and block traffic flow along Moi Avenue.

–Story by Lydiah Nyawira, Alex Wakhisi, Kevine Omollo, Victor Nzuma, Joackim Bwana and Karanja  Njoroge