Trevor Mathenge Mureithi was looking forward to chasing a degree at Multimedia University of Kenya when the unthinkable happened on Tuesday.
The first-year student in the Department of Media and Communication has now become yet another case of police brutality after he was allegedly attacked and brutalised by officers during protests at the university.
According to fellow students who witnessed the incident, trouble started when police officers lobbed teargas canisters at students who were in their hostels.
It is while scrambling out of the hostel alongside other students for his safety that Mureithi fell into a ditch and injured his leg.
A student displays a placard during a peaceful demonstration at Multimedia University of Kenya in Ongata Rongai on September 18, 2024.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Unable to get out of harm's way, Mureithi found himself cornered by the police officers who dragged him out of the ditch and started beating him up.
In a footage that captured the incident, an unidentified officer is seen calmly pulling a teargas canister from his pocket, removing the pin and dropping it on the injured and helpless student.
Mureithi, who was enrolled on August 26, is now battling serious injuries and emotional trauma following his ordeal. The brutal assault left him with a fractured right leg among other injuries.
On Wednesday, he underwent a reconstructive surgery on the injured leg.
But in an interesting turn of events, the university's Acting Vice Chancellor Rosebella Orangi Maranga on Wednesday denied that the administration called in the police to quell the protests.
The protests has been sparked by what the students termed as recurrent water shortage and poor sanitation at the institution.
“We don't allow police officers to come into the compound but yesterday (Tuesday) they found the gates open. We did not invite them,” she said.
Rosebella Orangi Maranga, the Acting Vice Chancellor of Multimedia University of Kenya, addresses the media at the institution on September 18, 2024.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Multimedia University of Kenya Students Association (MUKSA) Chairperson Ronald Cheruiyot said what happened to Mr Mureithi, who was only three weeks old at the institution, was not justified.
Mr Cheruiyot said the perpetrators should be held accountable because the students were protesting peacefully and they had duly notified the institution about their planned demonstrations.
“In an appalling show of disregard for human life, the officers left him in a perilous situation, surrounded by teargas that exploded dangerously. Mureithi suffered a dislocated right leg,” Mr Cheruiyot said.
At the same time, the student leader said the demonstrations have been suspended.
“We are calling upon the Ministry of Education to address the issues we have raised. Prof Maranga should within 48 hours be confirmed as the Vice Chancellor, failure to which we shall occupy the Ministry's offices at Jogoo House,” he said.
At the same time, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) has launched investigations into the incident.
On Tuesday evening, Ipoa visited the university where police officers were caught on camera assaulting the student.
Multimedia University of Kenya Students Association (MUKSA) secretary-general Remmy Osoti (center) addresses the media during a peaceful demonstration at the institution on September 18, 2024.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
The situation got out of hand when the officers stormed the university and used teargas to disperse the students, leading to an explosion in the girls' hostel.
“Probe shows teargas canister caused a fire in the girls’ hostel,” Ipoa said in a statement on Wednesday.
The fire was quickly put out by university staff but some students who reside in the hostel lost their valuables.
Ipoa also confirmed that a Rapid Response Team at the school will verify the authenticity of the widely circulated video showing the police assaulting a student.
“A Rapid Response Team has been dispatched to the university to, among other things, establish the veracity of a video clip widely circulated on social media showing a youth being assaulted by police officers,” Ipoa said.
“Ipoa reiterates that members of the National Police Service (NPS) should discharge their mandate professionally and responsibly in accordance with Section 244 of the Constitution,” the agency said.
“Upon completion of the investigation, Ipoa will recommend action, including but not limited to prosecution of officers if culpability is established,” Ipoa said in a statement.
Haki Africa Executive Director Hussein Khalid also condemned the incident, saying it was saddening for police officers to exercise such levels of brute force.
On Tuesday morning, the protesting students decried the poor state of the hostels and persistent water shortage at the institution.
The university administration later issued a statement saying the water shortage was as a result of a damaged main water pipe that affected the regular flow of water to the university.
