Karatina University closed indefinitely after violent students protest
The administration block at Karatina University in Nyeri County.
What you need to know:
- The institution was closed indefinitely following an emergency meeting of the University senate.
- All the students residing in private hotels were also told to look for alternative accommodation.
Karatina University has been closed indefinitely after students staged violent demonstrations over alleged exploitative matatu fares and rent charged by owners of private hostels.
The protesting students complained of exorbitant fares charged by matatu operators plying the Karatina-Kagochi Main campus route.
The students also warned the owners of private hostels to lower their rents of face ‘irreversible’ consequences.
The institution was closed after day-long tension with police in Karatina on high alert following threats by the students that they would set the hostels on fire.
The university has a population of about 10,000 students, a majority of whom participated in the protest on Wednesday morning in the neighbourhood of the institution.
Tension was high around the Kagochi Main campus as the police, led by Mathira East sub-County police commander Samson Leweri, closely monitored the situation, even as hostel owners are reported to have hired youths to secure their properties.
When the situation escalated and the students started stoning some of the hostels, the University senate called an emergency meeting where it was decided that the institution be closed until further notice.
An Internal memo dated September 25 and signed by the Registrar Dr Wangari Gathuthi announced the immediate closure of the university, with the students required to vacate by 3pm.
All the students residing in private hotels were also told to look for alternative accommodation.
At the same time, Mr Leweri confirmed that on Monday evening the students extensively damaged three vehicles when they took to the streets to protest "unfair" fares charged by some of the matatu operators.
The students had demanded that the matatu operators suspend their operations on the route until they lowered the fares from Sh100 to Sh60 for the 10km journey.
The police had been on high alert following the circulation of a letter from the students’ leaders dated September 24 and headlined “Mass demonstration against exploitative landlords.”
In the letter, all students were asked to join the protests aimed at ‘greeting’ all hostel owners in the area.
An intelligence brief seen by Nation. Africa termed the situation as potentially explosive because the hostel owners are said to have hired youths to protect their properties.
Some of the hostel owners, who spoke Nation.Africa on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said they will not yield to the students' demands to lower rent.
“Our rentals are private facilities and nobody will dictate what we should charge. If they can’t afford the current rates they can as well look for accommodation elsewhere,” one of the landlords said.
Meanwhile, the local chairman of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Francis Hura has appealed to the government to intervene in the matter before the situation gets out of hand.
On Monday business in Karatina town was disrupted as the rowdy students poured into the streets to hunt down and attack matatu operators.
“We shall keep off that route until the situation returns to normal. We can’t yield to their demands. This is business like any other, and we conduct it on a willing buyer willing seller basis,” said Mr Joseph Machira, a matatu operator.
Mr Leweri said no arrests have been made in connection to the damaged vehicles but the matter is under investigation.
