Daystar University has been closed indefinitely after days of student unrest.
In a notice to students and staff, the Senate on Thursday shut the university’s Nairobi and Athi River campuses and ordered all learners and workers to vacate by noon.
MEETING
International students residing on Athi River campus were asked to vacate and report to a designated desk in Nairobi by 2pm.
On Wednesday night, the Nairobi Campus turned into a war zone after police stormed and lobbed teargas at protesting students following a failed meeting between their leaders and the Senate.
The two parties were scheduled to meet and discuss an audit report on university’s financial management.
A tweet shared via the Daystar University account on Tuesday showed that a meeting was in fact scheduled to discuss a forensic report and audit report.
Students involved in the protests sought redress on the matter, claiming the institution should provide information on the scrutiny.
Police in full combat gear struck as some students met on the seventh floor of the DAC Building to discuss issues that have seen the learners boycott classes and turn against the management.
Speaking to NTV, student body President Alloys Otieno said the senate had initially invited their association in order to discuss the demands they had tabled.
“It is unfortunate that we were sitting in for a dialogue with the senate to try and find a way on how to lift the suspensions and find a way forward for the university,” said Otieno.
“A few individuals, who are outsiders and are unhappy with this sitting, want the forensic report that we had asked (for) not to come out.”
GRIEVANCES
As the meeting was going on, he said, police came in kicked them out of the campus.
“They broke doors and teargassed us. They ordered us to surrender by lifting our hands and demanded that we immediately vacate the premises,” he said.
Another student Chris Munene added that the acting VC Timothy Wachira could not produce the audit report because it accuses three senior staff members the students want fired of embezzling funds.
The learners have raised several grievances, including poor standards of courses, lack of value for money, poor facilities and restrictions on the transfer of credits.
On Monday, unidentified men were arrested at the campus as they attempted to evict a student leader.
A video shared on social media showed about five men manhandling a student before a heated exchange ensued.
