University students threaten march to State House
By Joshua Cheloti
A section of university students from the Rift Valley region has threatened to stage a march to the statehouse Nairobi if the government does not address the rising insecurity situation in the Kerio Valley.
The students say President Uhuru Kenyatta should take up the matter personally and order an operation against the bandits that have been terrorizing locals for a while now.
Addressing a media briefing in Eldoret town, the students under the umbrella Rift Valley University Students Association said they will mobilize other students for the march and protest over the government’s failure to restore sanity in the volatile region.
[caption id="attachment_15302" align="alignnone" width="798"]
File image of a previous University of Nairobi (UoN) student protest. |Courtesy| Pulse Live|[/caption]
“Our mothers and children are being killed. We are not sure we will survive when we go back to our homes after completing university,” Meshack Korir, a university student from Endo ward, one of the most affected areas said.
“What is happening in Kerio Valley is no longer cattle rustling because they are killing harmless women and children who cannot carry firearms,” he added.
The students are now planning to march to State House on April 9, 2022, as they push for action to be taken so that peace is restored in the region that borders Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, and West Pokot Counties.
“There was insecurity in Laikipia and the government acted swiftly to address it. Why not do the same for Kerio Valley?” asked Rift Valley region students’ union chairman ChepKwony Tangula.
The university students further said it was time politicians from the region stood up firmly to demand action is taken rather than focusing on the August 9 poll campaigns.
“Who will vote for you where the would-be voters are being killed?” said Tangula.
It is estimated that at least 20 people have been killed due to bandit attacks along the Kerio Valley within the last three months – half of who are women and children.
There have been calls for the deployment of the military in the region to deal with the bandits, as well as a return for the National Police Reservists (NPR) who locals said were helping stop the cattle rustlers, whenever they raided villages.
File image of a previous University of Nairobi (UoN) student protest. |Courtesy| Pulse Live|[/caption]
“Our mothers and children are being killed. We are not sure we will survive when we go back to our homes after completing university,” Meshack Korir, a university student from Endo ward, one of the most affected areas said.
“What is happening in Kerio Valley is no longer cattle rustling because they are killing harmless women and children who cannot carry firearms,” he added.
The students are now planning to march to State House on April 9, 2022, as they push for action to be taken so that peace is restored in the region that borders Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, and West Pokot Counties.
“There was insecurity in Laikipia and the government acted swiftly to address it. Why not do the same for Kerio Valley?” asked Rift Valley region students’ union chairman ChepKwony Tangula.
The university students further said it was time politicians from the region stood up firmly to demand action is taken rather than focusing on the August 9 poll campaigns.
“Who will vote for you where the would-be voters are being killed?” said Tangula.
It is estimated that at least 20 people have been killed due to bandit attacks along the Kerio Valley within the last three months – half of who are women and children.
There have been calls for the deployment of the military in the region to deal with the bandits, as well as a return for the National Police Reservists (NPR) who locals said were helping stop the cattle rustlers, whenever they raided villages. What's Your Reaction?
