Police disperse anti-funding model demos by Machakos University students

Police on Monday dispersed protests by Machakos University students against the new higher education funding model.

The students had gotten to the streets and blocked a section of Machakos - Wote Road at Susana area within Machakos Township.

They were teargassed by anti-riot officers shortly after they started the demos.

The rioting students who were still in the process of mobilising their colleagues blocked the road at around 8 am before officers from Machakos Police Station caught up with them.

Some motorists who were caught up in the melee made U-turns since the roads were impassible.

The students used stones to block the road.

Machakos County police boss Patrick Lobolia condemned the students’ attempts to stage demonstrations in Machakos town terming it illegal.

Lobolia questioned why the students went to the streets yet university leaders had called off the earlier planned national demonstrations.

“We are on standby because if their colleagues had postponed the demonstrations, they shouldn’t go to the streets,” Lobolia told the Star on the phone shortly after the incident.

He advised the students to forget about staging demonstrations in Machakos and instead get back to class for their own good.

“We will call their leaders for a meeting and inform them that their national leaders had called off the earlier scheduled protests. They should therefore return to class and concentrate on their studies,” Lobolia said.

Lobolia assured residents of their safety stating that they had deployed enough police officers to patrol the town with many others on standby in case of any further attempts by the students to disrupt businesses in Machakos.

Addressed the press after they were dispersed by police,  the students faulted the move by the police to block their demos, saying they were peaceful.

They accused police officers of using live bullets to quell their protests.

“It is bad that the OCS Machakos is telling us that he will use live bullets on us, we are peaceful,” Chrispine Juma, a second-year student said.

“We were peacefully demonstrating while displaying banners and whistles. He told us on our face that he is going to use live bullets on comrades who are peacefully demonstrating,” Juma said.

Lobolia however laughed off the claims that his officers had discharged live bullets on the demonstrating students terming them hallucinations.

“They aren’t live bullets, but live sounds. Mlipuko tu!” Lobolia said.

The students called on President William Ruto to drop the new funding model and revert to the previous one, citing high economic times in the country.

“We call on President Ruto to drop the new funding model. If not, we shall be on the streets today until the day the new funding model will be done away with. There will be no classes, learning or meetings in this university until the new funding model is out,” Juma said.

Another second-year student, James Muli, said most of the students in universities across the country were finding it tough not only to pay school fees but also to sustain themselves on campus.

Muli urged the government to hear their cries and do away with the model.

“Fees is too high for parents who are even struggling to raise a meal in a single day and yet students, we are here.  Even the upkeep is yet to be disbursed,” Muli said.

He said his Helb portal indicated that the upkeep was allocated on August 27, but it has not yet reflected in his bank account.

“How am I going to survive?” Muli posed.

Brian Mwangangi said the new funding model was burdening both their parents and themselves as students.

“This morning, we had given a notice that we will be on the streets to tell the government that we don’t want the new funding model. Police have disrupted our business claiming we are violent with the intention of committing robberies,” Mwangangi said.

Mwangangi said there was no kind of intimidation, humiliation and threats that would remove them from the streets.

“The fear has fallen, we aren’t going to leave the streets until our voice is heard. No amount of threatening can make us go back to our house. This funding model is tiresome and our parents are very tired,” he said.