Laikipia University students riot after cultural festival week reduced to one day

Students from Laikipia University’s main campus on Tuesday engaged police in running battles as they protested the alteration of dates for their cultural festival week.

This comes after the school administration reportedly changed the festival from a week-long affair – which was previously set to start on Monday – to only one day.

The protests started early morning and crippled transport activities as the rioting students lit fires and barricaded the busy Nyahururu–Nakuru highway.

Shops at the nearby Karuga and Nyumba Tatu shopping centres remained closed for the better part of the day after the visibly agitated students torched some of the kiosks.

It was a hide-and-seek game between the students and police for the better part of the day.

Motorists plying the route were forced to exercise caution when approaching the campus which is located at Karuga area, 20 kilometres from Nyahururu town.

“We have been holding a cultural week in every academic year and this year’s event was set to start yesterday (Monday) up to Friday,” said one of the students.

“But yesterday we were notified by the university administration that we will only hold the event for only one day on Friday.”

Yet another student lamented the university’s claim of lack of funds as the reason why the event would be slashed from five days to one day saying “yet the money had been factored in the school fees.”

Firefighters from the county government of Laikipia were called to put off the fires that had been lit in various spots by the students.

The school was closed indefinitely following the riots.