Egerton, Masinde Muliro closed as UON students riot

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By Cyrus Ombati

Egerton and Masinde Muliro Universities have been closed indefinitely as the lecturers’ strike entered the third day.

Egerton University was the first to be closed on Friday morning and students sent home.

"The senate has determined that the situation may persist for some time making the students idle.

"It has therefore been decided at today’s senate meeting that the university be closed until further notice," a notice issued by the office of Academic Affairs said. The closure affects both Njoro Main campus and other campuses.

Egerton University Njoro campus students leave after the university was closed indefinitely on Friday morning due to ongoing lecturers’ strike. [Photo: Boniface Thuku/Standard]

This came as negotiations between the government chaired by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and the lecturers’ union collapsed on Thursday evening.

Masinde Muliro on Friday afternoon closed also sending home students, a move that disrupted end of semester examinations.

It is expected that other universities will follow suit.

As this developed, hundreds of University of Nairobi students staged street demonstration to protest the attack of SONU Secretary General, Alex Matere at their hostels by unknown people.

They claimed Matere was attacked and stabbed in the hand and stomach by people hired to harm him over leadership wrangles in the union.

The students started their protest from their hostels to the Prime Minister’s office, police headquarters and Central police station where they urged the arrest of one of their union leaders over the attack.

Matere is admitted in hospital following the attack that occurred Friday morning at the hostels. The students claimed the top student leader had gone underground after the attack and urged for his arrest.

"We believe he is the one who hired goons to attack Matere and we want police to get him whenever he is," said one of the protesters. They later snaked back to the university after the peaceful protests.