Students worried about insecurity on campus

Achieving a university education is fast becoming a gamble between death and degrees as Kenyan public universities suffer a wave of insecurity.

After a series of documented incidents, the state of insecurity within and about public universities has raised concern, especially among students. The trend has increased so much that the students are literally living in fear.

Early in the year, Newton Majani of Kenyatta University’s (KU) School of Economics was stoned to death on his way from watching a football match at a club in Kahawa — about two kilometres away from the main campus. The Second Year student was a resident of Davani Apartments in Kahawa Wendani, which, according to other students, have become a den for criminals waiting to pounce on gullible students.

“These developments have instilled fear among students and residents of the area. It is difficult to know who is good and who is bad as the thugs walk around with weapons concealed under their clothes. It is becoming very dangerous for us students to walk along the streets,” says Abuta Ogeto, a second year student at Kenyatta University who also lives in the area.

Not long after Majani’s murder, Hermatone Dumbe, Abuta’s comrade and a student of psychology, was mugged and left for dead with serious head and leg injuries.

He was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital before being transferred to Kikuyu Hospital.

Dumbe came from Kamae from where he commuted daily. Kamae, according to Abuta, is labelled a security black spot.

It is not only KU where life has been made difficult for students as a result of insecurity.

In March this year, James Mugane, a Third Year economics student at the University of Nairobi died in his bed after he was accosted and assaulted by unknown individuals who were asking him to repay a debt.

He had slipped into a coma and eventually died, never to achieve what took him to school.

Another student’s body would later be found floating inside the institution’s swimming pool.

These incidents bring back memories of Mercy Keino, a master’s degree student at the same university whose body was found pummelled on a major Nairobi highway the morning after a night of partying at Wasini Luxury Apartments in Westlands, in 2011.

Instances of student deaths have also emerged from private institutions. In November last year, Jerry Mruma, a foreign student at United States International University (USIU) was found dead inside his room. At the time of his death, Mruma was a representative of graduate students in USIU’s Student Affairs Council.

Records with the police show that Mruma’s last communication was a text message to his girlfriend at 11.38pm, telling her that he had left a function he was attending that night.

Speaking to a Standard journalist, Philip Ndwiga, the Chief of Security at Kenyatta University, pointed out that the university has asked the Kasarani police boss to increase the number of officers at KM Police Post — located just behind the university’s Nyayo hostels, which houses the highest student population in the institution.

It has also emerged that the university has written to the Nairobi police boss, Benson Kibue, requesting him to add the number of officers at the Kahawa Police Post and to order increased patrols.

KU has currently heightened its security levels by installing scanners at major entrances to the campus.

In addition, there are numerous and rigorous checks that include sniffer dogs before motorists are allowed access into the main campus premises.

Anybody entering the university premises must identify themselves.