On the night of March 14th when the anxiety for the pending judiciary announcement on the presidential election petition at the supreme court were rife,a new development cropped at the premises of Kenyatta University. Raila was then due to file his petition.
Students allegedly found electoral materials in one of the rooms supposedly rented out by IEBC officials. The discovered materials included marked presidential ballot papers. The students also spotted IEBC officials walking in and out of the room they then confronted the officers.
On realising the electoral materials in the room,they quickly called politicians affiliated to CORD who by then claimed their victory was stollen. Media was also invited,amongst the first to arrive at the scene was Budalangi MP Ababu Namwamba and Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo who in recorded files certified that the ballot papers were genuine.
However the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission later explained that the ballot papers and boxes had been used during the pre-election simulation exercise.
The students later marched out of the university blocking the Thika superhighway and staging a violent riot,many of them were CORD affiliates and argued that they witness rigging schemes first hand. They burnt down a vehicle belonging to IEBC which was supposedly used ferry the ballot material.
After the clouds calmed down,several students were brought before the disciplinary committee which has since then expelled 14 students and suspended 4 for three academic years. It is not shocking that 17 of the affected are from the Luo and One from the Kamba communities who were the largest groups that heavily voted CORD.
In a consolation move,CORD leader Raila Odinga met with the affected students and promised to initiate talks with the university to recheck their decision or brace for court dates.
Olive Mugenda through her committee accused the students for raising false alarm by inviting pressmen and politicians and also igniting chaos in the school.
Is the university's decision to expel and suspend the students valid?
No comments:
Post a Comment