Karatina University closed indefinitely after students clash with local community

Karatina university main adminstartion block, October 30, 2018. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

Karatina University in Nyeri County has been closed and students asked to vacate its premises immediately.

The move comes after the students who had staged demos clashed with the local community leaving scores of them injured.

Mathira East Police Commander Samson Leweri said the actions prompted an intervention by the anti-riot police officers who found themselves in running battles as they tried to maintain law and order.

Leweri said the students became unruly by disrupting businesses and attacking vehicles which provoked residents to take matters into their own hands.

A memo from the office of the Vice Chancellor stated that all Students were ordered to vacate the main campus immediately and not later than 6:30 pm today Wednesday 25 2024.

The students were protesting against what they claimed was the local community charging them exorbitant prices.

To them, this is unfair bearing in mind the enormous amount of revenue they inject into the local economy.

While terming landlords as 'exploiters and unreasonable', the students took issues with a local Matatu Sacco that is plying Karatina -Kagochi routes within which they commute for hiking fares up to Sh100.

Eunice Nzau, one of the students said they are pained by the fact that the landlords have doubled the rent, electricity and water bills since January this year.

"We want the stakeholders in the transport sector, landlords and foodstuff vendors to review their prices as we continue to invest heavily into some of the local economy's most profitable outlets, 'she claimed.