Meru polytechnic closed indefinitely after riot over student union elections
Members of the public and students of Meru National Polytechnic are pictured on Meru-Nanyuki road during a riot over union elections on July 19, 2021
What you need to know:
- The students had staged peaceful protests outside the institution’s gate at Gitoro, when anti-riot police arrived and lobbed teargas canisters to disperse them.
Meru National Polytechnic was Monday closed indefinitely after students rioted over alleged rigging in union elections held last Friday.
The students had staged peaceful protests outside the institution’s gate at Gitoro, when anti-riot police arrived and lobbed teargas canisters to disperse them.
The management then gave the over 13,000 students 30 minutes to vacate the institution, with those sponsored by the National Youth Service (NYS) ordered to report to their Yatta base.
Meru National Polytechnic students are seen inside a police vehicle on July 19, 2021, after they were arrested following a riot over student union elections on July 19, 2021
Dozens of students were arrested and taken to Meru police station for not adhering to the vacate order.
Addressing the press, the students said they were angered by the management’s decision to hold an online election as the majority of them wanted the polls conducted manually.
They also alleged massive rigging and that many people were denied the opportunity to vote after they found their ballots had been cast by other people.
“We protested on Friday but the management has not yet addressed the issue. Many students missed the opportunity to elect their preferred candidates,” said Boniface Kirimi, who vied for the polytechnic president’s post.
A section of Meru national polytechnic students are escorted to Meru police station on July 19, 2021, after they were arrested following a riot over union elections.
Ms Dorcas Micheni, who eyed the secretary-general position, said they were dismayed by the decision to close the institution in the absence of Chief Principal Stephen Rukaria.
“We had been holding peaceful protests until police came and lobbed teargas at us. We were only exercising our rights but the police used excessive force,” she said.
Many students were injured while being ejected from the institution.
Ms Dorcas Micheni, a student of the Meru National Polytechnic, addresses the press on July 19, 2021, after the institution was closed indefinitely following a riot over union elections.
Mr Melvin Weru appealed for the reopening of the institution so that they can prepare for exams set for November.
He said students also demanded the transfer of the dean of students, saying the office had failed to protect their welfare, as food prices in the cafeteria skyrocketed.
