Emeutes au Kenya mars 2009
Pwani University closed indefinitely
Written By:KNA , Posted: Tue, Mar 03, 2009
The Pwani University College in Kilifi town has been closed indefinitely.
The decision to close the campus was arrived at Tuesday afternoon after a six-hour closed door crisis board meeting presided over by the college’s Principal, Professor Mohamed Rajab.
Prof Rajab told journalists after emerging from the meeting that the board had resolved to close the campus until further notice to ease the tension that has been building between the students and boda boda (motorcycle taxis) operators in the town.
Prof Rajab who was flanked by campus administrator Juma Mwachihi said that reopening date would be communicated to the students later.
The students destroyed five motorcycles on Saturday night after a confrontation between them and the boda boda operators in the town.
Trouble is said to have started when a female student allegedly refused to pay charges for a boda boda that she had hired to commute to the campus from the town centre.
Boda boda operators backed by hawkers and members of the public on an apparent revenge mission reportedly gathered outside the gates of the campus on Sunday morning and beat up any student who ventured out of the institution.
The tension and the fighting have paralysed learning at the institution as the students and the rowdy operators engaged int pitched battles.
Due to the tension, students who reside outside the campus could not access the institution while those who live within the campus could not venture out.
Meanwhile students of Egerton University‘s Njoro Campus went on the rampage Monday night protesting over persistent power blackouts at the institution.
The students ran amok destroying property worth Ksh 7 million.
Nakuru OCPD Daniet Kimeu said that the students smashed windows and pelted buildings in the institution with stones.
Kimeu said that the disturbances lasted almost three hours and the students only calmed down after police intervened.
The students demanded that the university installs a power generator to cushion them against persistent power blackouts.
The university Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mr Ken Ramani said the power blackout was caused by over loading in the students’ hostels. Ramani said that the university was doing everything possible to restore power to the hostels.
He said that the university requires Ksh 4 million to replace the electric system in the affected hostels.
On Tuesday the University’s Senate was locked in a meeting to decide on the course of action.
Egerton University shut after riots
Posted Tuesday, March 3 2009
More than 2,000 Egerton University students were sent home after the closure of the Njoro campus following a series of riots.
The closure notice was issued by the acting registrar (academics), Prof Seth Owido.
On Monday night, students went on the rampage for the second time in a week to protest against persistent power blackouts.
The university had allegedly spent Sh3 million to replace cables damaged due to electric faults blamed on overloading of the supply system.
However, Vice-Chancellor James Tuitoek dismissed claims that the riots were caused by power failure, saying there had been no electricity interruptions.
Student riots cause Sh7m damage
Published on 28/02/2009
By Steve Mkawale
Egerton University students went on the rampage, destroying property worth more than Sh7 million at the Njoro main campus.
Scores of students were injured during the Thursday night mayhem that left a trail of destruction in residential and dinning halls.
The students, who were protesting against frequent power outages, accused the institution’s management of taking long to address their grievances.
« There is a communication breakdown in this institution. Rwenzori hall of residence has been without electricity for the past two weeks, but no one has bothered to address the issue, » said Victor Odhiambo.
Odhiambo said a student who attempted to stop his colleagues from destroying property, was injured when his colleagues roughed him up.
A number of female students at the Lavington bloc suffered injuries when stones shattered windowpanes of their rooms.
A group of rowdy students attacked their colleagues at Maringo, Uganda and Lavington halls of residence.
Isaac Napali, a second year student, blamed the riot on hard economic times, which he claimed had taken a physical and emotional toll on some of his colleagues.
« It is clear that some students are frustrated because they cannot afford meals and the administration plans to increase fees by Sh8,000, » claimed Napali.
The hard times have forced students to cook in the halls of residence, causing frequent power outages. The university management does not allow cooking in the halls.
But a student told The Standard on Saturday many opt to cook as the food offered in the dining halls was little and badly cooked.
« Some students carry food to last them for months so they can save money, » said Isaac Kiara.
The university spokesman Ken Ramani said they were investigating to establish the ringleaders.
Egerton University students go on rampage
Posted Friday, February 27 2009
By WANJIRU MACHARIA
Egerton University students went on the rampage on Thursday night, destroying property worth close to Sh7 million at the Njoro campus in an incident triggered by a power blackout.
Windows at the main mess and several hostels were smashed as the angry students pelted them with stones and beat up their colleagues. A Junior Common room which was yet to be commissioned was also destroyed.
Trouble started when power went off at Ruwenzori hostel that has been experiencing power problems for the past two weeks.
Wednesday’s outage seemed to be the last straw, sparking off a rampage and destruction the university management estimated at close to Sh7 million
The students were protesting what they termed as electricity rationing at the hostels, poor quality food and lack of proper communication channels between them and the administration.
A student who spoke to the Nation said the problem had been building up because the management had failed to address their issues.
“We have been complaining for some time now and the administration has done nothing to address our grievances,” he said.
The student leaders had also failed because they were not representing them properly, he said adding: « They are not fighting for our rights as expected. »
Other students interviewed said they were demanding an increment of power voltage supplied to their hostels to enable them cook in their rooms.
« Some of our colleagues have cooked in the hostels since they were admitted here, some of them have a sack of maize in their rooms, how do you tell such a person not to cook? » posed one of them.
The University’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Ken Ramani said property worth between Sh5 to 7 million was destroyed in the rampage.
But an evaluation would be carried to quantify the damage done. He said the incident would be investigated and the instigators of the rampage disciplined.
« The students could be having unaddressed issues but going on rampage and destroying property is not the solution. Action will be taken against those behind the rampage, » he said.
He said the management was always open to dialogue and dismissed claims that student leaders were being frustrated in their endeavour to front student issues.
anthropologie du présent 