STRIKE:

THE STRIKE WENT ON DESPITE THE HELB BOARD PLEA

By Maritim Kipngetich

PHOTO: Students run for their safety during strike. The students strike over loan delays.

The consequences of the strike will be rather imagined than experienced, those are not my words; ask Babu who is the chairman of Students Organization of Nairobi University (SONU) and he also heads the Kenya Organization of Students Unions (KOSU).

 Yesterday was a rough day for security officers found within the capital city of Kenya; the University  of Nairobi students started taking to streets as early as 10a.m to demonstrate the delay in loans disbursement to students’ accounts. the Higher Education Loans Board officials had promised the students that they would put the money to their accounts on 15th September, 2014. That was meant to make the students not to go for strike which they had announced that it would take place on Friday 19^th, but unfortunately the strike went on.

 Speaking at Kenya Television Network (NTV) on Wednesday the Chief Executive Officer of the board , ,Charles Ringera, said, about 58000 students had got the money in their accounts and the remaining number out of 110000 students would have their money in their accounts by Friday 19^th (yesterday).

“About 58000 students have got the money remitted to their accounts as by this evening (Wednesday evening),” he said.

He further said they normally disburse the money in the second week after the universities have opened. He, however, said the universities opened early this semester and that is why they had to delay in fund remission.

“Universities normally opened the September-December semester between 8^th and 15^th of September every year, but this year they opened it as early as 1^st September and that is why we had to delay in giving them loans.” Ringera reiterated.

In his respond to the CEO of the board at the show, the KOSU chairman, Babu Owino, told him that the strike would go on unless the students are given their money.

“I want to be categorical to the CEO that the strike will take place,” he emphasized.

He also warned the CEO that they would go for him in his office at Anniversary Towers during the strike and should they not find him, then they would go for him in his home.

“We shall come for you in your office and if we don’t find you there then we shall come for you in your home. We shall look for you until we find you,” he told the CEO.

Speaking yesterday 9p.m in the Citizen Weekend show at Citizen Television, Ringera said the students demonstrated before checking whether the money was in their accounts or not. He said all 110000 students who had applied for subsequent loan had got the money put in their accounts.

Though the strike and demonstration is a right provided to everybody in the supreme law of Kenya, none of the strikes, which have been carried out by students, have ever been peaceful. More often than not the students have been reported to have stoned the motorists and tried to rob them of their belongings.

Yesterday’s strike, therefore, was not an exception since the students from the University of Nairobi went to Helb offices situated at Anniversary Towers and try to break the gate. The police officers, who were mainly from the General Service Unit, were present and they had to disburse them using the tear gas. That is where the things started to go wrong. The students started to draw stones to the officers and that went on from 11a.m until 6p.m in the evening.

Approximately 10 students were, as it has always been, injured during the strike. Three students from the same university were arrested and taken to police station. In addition to students being arrested and some injured, the learning was also paralyzed.