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Varsity students riot over fares
BY: Kimeli Kemei
DATE: Saturday, September 25, 2004
Kenyatta University students Friday went on the rampage and blocked the busy Nairobi-Thika Highway protesting fare hikes.
The students vowed to resist a move by matatus plying the route from increasing the fare to town up to 70 shillings from the normal 40 shillings.
Traffic along the busy Nairobi-Thika Highway was paralyzed as Kenyatta University students stoned motorists to protest fare hikes by matatus plying the route.
They said the matatu operators had hiked the fares from 40 shillings to 70 shillings from the city center.
The students blocked the road, lit bonfires and robbed several motorists before anti-riot police led by Nairobi police chief Kingori Mwangi and his CID counterpart Samuel Githui moved in.
Using two water cannons and teargas canisters, the anti-riot squad engaged the students in running battles that lasted most of the day.
At one point the students overpowered the police forcing them to retreat. The police chief called for more reinforcements from the GSU and administration police.
Sensing danger the students retreated back to the campus where they re-grouped and pelted the anti-riot squad with stones.
The university management through the vice-chancellor’s representative Dr. Namwamba said the students were provoked by the fare hikes.
Police led by Kasarani OCPD Solomon Makau had a rough time removing stones and electricity poles which were used by the students to barricade the road.
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