UoN students riot aborted

BY WAMBUI NDONGA

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null 1/1 UoN students in the streets/File NAIROBI, Kenya, June 29 - University of Nairobi students clashed briefly with the police on Wednesday after a number of them attempted to take to the streets to protest the killing of their colleague Mercy Keino. A group of students had gathered in defiance of their leaders from the Students Organisation of Nairobi University (SONU) who had earlier called off the planned demonstrations to give the police more time with their ongoing investigations. SONU Chairman Babu Owino told a press conference on Wednesday morning that the student’s body was compelled to call off the strike after Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere announced the progress that his officers had made so far in their investigations. He also hailed a pledge by the Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko that the matter would be pursued to the end. “There is serious tension within the University premises and as we have said, there is some light at the end of the tunnel because of the communication from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),” he stated. Mercy who was pursuing her Masters degree at the Nairobi University, met her death on the night of June 17 after allegedly being thrown out of an exclusive party, in Westlands, for being intoxicated and disorderly. Meanwhile four Members of Parliament jointly urged the DPP and Mr Iteere to expedite and conclude their investigations into the case surrounding her death. Speaking to journalists in Nairobi on Wednesday Sotik MP Joyce Laboso asked the government to hasten its investigations so as to allay any fears or anxieties that could crop up. “They should find out what was really going on at this so called private party. Who were the people that were involved and what kind of business were they discussing? Maybe we will find out that illegal things were going on,” she said. Gender and Children’s Affairs Minister Naomi Shaban further took issue with Mercy’s friends saying they should not have let her out of their sight after she was thrown out of the party. “Those who attended the party with Mercy and did not even bother to find out where she had gone should have made sure that their friend was safe,” she argued. “Young girls tend to get over excited when they get the freedom that they didn’t have in high school. You know in high school there are matrons and teachers who control their activities but in university they are on their own,” noted Ms Laboso. “So my advice to girls would be that they take their time to understand their environment and know who their friends are,” she counselled. East African Community minister Hellen Sambili and Bomet MP Beatrice Kones were also present. Follow the author at https://twitter.com/wambuindonga

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