Of fees increase and student hooliganism

Of fees increase and student hooliganism

“S

ome students have argued that just like other Kenyans, they strike because that is the only language the authorities can understand.

BY MUSYOKA NGUI

This week saw university students engage police in running battles protesting planned increase in school fees. Students from the University of Nairobi, Egerton, Maseno and Technical University of Mombasa participated in the riots. Consequently, 52 students were arrested in Nairobi and later released following the unrest.

The Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi assured the students and parents that there will not be fees increment prior to the strike. But the students went on rampage despite this assurance.

Scholars are respected in the society and the least thing we expect from them is to engage in juggle tactics of resolving conflicts. They suck in parties which were not in any way involved in their woes. How did motorists affect student fee increase? Will stoning cars and blocking roads reverse the directive-if it was there? What has the shopkeeper near University Way got to do with your problems? Do you have to loot his or her property to drive your point home?

Some students have argued that just like other Kenyans, they strike because that is the only language the authorities can understand. The government is allergic to civil negotiation. If you want something to be done by the government just strike.

The GSU was deployed to quell the unrest. The sheer use of force is alarming. The police flushed students who demonstrated peacefully from their classes. The students, apparently, had no other option but to hit back. They threw stones to retaliate to tear gas canisters hurled their way by the police. Some were injured.

There is no need to increase university fees for students whether regular, private or parallel. The economy is in the doldrums. The HELB loan is itself not enough and a huge chunk of university learners are broke. Please Bwana Kaimenyi, give us a break.

The writer is a student of Bachelors of Arts Degree in Communication and Media at Chuka University and an intern at KNA Kitui Bureau. He blogs at musyokangui.blogspot.com

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