Karatina University closed after students protest over matatu fares, hostel rents
By Lucy Mumbi |
The institution has approximately 10,000 students, and the majority participated in the protests.
Karatina University in Nyeri has been closed indefinitely after students engaged in violent demonstrations complaining of exploitative matatu fares and high rents imposed by private hostel owners.
The protests erupted on Wednesday morning, with students expressing their grievances over the fares charged by matatu operators on the Karatina-Kagochi-main campus route.
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They issued stern warnings to hostel owners, stating that failure to reduce their rents would result in "irreversible" consequences.
The closure of the university followed a day of escalating tensions, prompting a heightened police presence in Karatina amid threats from students to set the hostels ablaze.
The institution has approximately 10,000 students, and the majority participated in the protests which created an atmosphere of unease around the Kagochi main campus.
Police, led by Mathira East Sub-County Police Commander Samson Leweri, monitored the situation closely, while hostel owners reportedly hired local youths for protection against potential vandalism.
In a memo released on Wednesday, university officials ordered all students residing on campus to vacate immediately.
Those living off-campus were advised to seek alternative accommodation until the situation improves.
“The first semester of the 2024/2025 academic year activities are suspended effective today, Wednesday, 25th September 2024. All students should vacate the university premises with immediate effect, latest 3:00 pm," read the memo signed by the university’s registrar, Wangari Gathuthi.
Gathuthi indicated that reopening dates would be communicated in due course.
The students had blocked the main highway leading to Karatina town with rocks, causing significant traffic disruptions.
The protestors criticised the university’s administration for failing to act on their grievances despite previous appeals for intervention.
The protests at Karatina University are part of a broader trend, as students across various higher education institutions have recently organised demonstrations over various issues.
Just last week, transport along Magadi Road in Ongata Rongai was disrupted when Multimedia University students protested against inadequate access to clean water and unreliable internet connectivity.
The students claimed the administration had remained mute despite their constant pleas for assistance.
"We resorted to going on strike since our calls to the administration remained unanswered," the students said.
They also noted that there is little or internet access in the institution, further affecting their studies.
"Some of the hostels have dysfunctional sockets. Others lack study chairs. We have raised these issues but no one has responded to our cries for help," they said.
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