Private university student presidents response to police brutality on UoN students

We as student leaders from Strathmore, USIU-Africa, Daystar and Riara universities are saddened by the alleged reports of police brutality on innocent University of Nairobi students on September 28th, 2017. Our universities ought to be safe havens and conducive environments for students to learn and define their future. Any action by anyone or any authority that threatens this sanctity should be vehemently opposed.

We appreciate the day-to-day efforts and sacrifices made by our police in maintaining law and order and defending the citizens of this great country. We want to be very clear that we are not anti-police but we are strongly anti-police brutality. Every citizen, inclusive of students, has a constitutional right to peacefully demonstrate and the use of force on unarmed students violates their constitutional rights. The future of students and young people in this country, lies greatly in the promise that their constitutional rights shall always be protected and that the state will always act in their best interests. We as students cannot be trained and taught on how to live in a democracy if we are not getting the opportunity to live in one today. We therefore urge the government to live up to that promise by investigating the allegations and acting accordingly.