The Kabete National Polytechnic has been closed indefinitely after the students went on strike.
The college chief principal Patrick Muchemi in a statement on Tuesday, September 17, directed the students to vacate the polytechnic.
“This is to inform you that the Polytechnic has been closed indefinitely. You are required to vacate the Polytechnic with immediate effect,” read part of the notice signed by the principal.
“You are required to vacate the Polytechnic with immediate effect.”
Earlier, Muchemi was roughed up by the students who ejected him out of his office and vandalized the premises.
Kabete Polytechnic Strike
The strike was a response to rising examination fees on top of the normal tuition fee and changes to the dress code.
In images and video as seen by The Kenya Times, the students had lit bonfires in front of their main gate.
Some of the students blocked a section of the busy Waiyaki Way leading to the school.
Police from the nearby Kabete Police Station were deployed to contain the situation, clearing rocks placed on the road by the protesters.
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This marked the second wave of protests on Tuesday, occurring almost simultaneously with another demonstration on Magadi Road by Multimedia University students.
Multimedia University Strike
Multimedia University students held demonstrations on Tuesday morning over water scarcity in campus.
The students said they have gone for days without water in the hostels and other parts of the institution.
Having issued their strike notice to the administration last Thursday, the students made good their threat on Tuesday morning.
Earlier, staff and students struggled to put out a fire in one of the hostels as the protests continued.
Anti-riot police officers who were deployed at the institution engaged in fierce back and forth with the students who demanded better sanitation and welfare.
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Student leader Naomi Oketch told the media that the administration has remained silent despite their repeated pleas for assistance.
“We resorted to going on strike because our calls to the administration went unanswered,” she said.
Other issues raised by the students include the lack of electricity within the hostels, broken sockets, and lack of wifi connectivity which they claimed has immensely hampered their learning activities.
“Some hostels have dysfunctional sockets, while others lack study chairs. We’ve raised these concerns, but no one has responded to our cries for help,” the students said.
The students also faulted lack of seats for students within the hostels, a situation causing inconvenience.
On the other hand, the university administration issued a statement clarifying that the water shortage at the institution was as a result of a damaged main water pipe that affected the regular flow of water to the university.
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