MOI UNIVERSITY’s main campus has been closed indefinitely after students clashed during campaigns for internal leadership positions. The over 15000 students based at campus have been given one hour to leave the institution, according to a memo from Vice Chancellor, Prof Richard Mibei.
The clash was between supporters of two candidates who have been divided along the national political lines of CORD and Jubilee vying for the top position of chairman of the Moi University Students Organisation (MUSO).
A source at the university said one of the candidates is Luo while the other is Kalenjin. The fight was sparked today around 11am as the students assembled for a Kamkunji at the student centre ahead of the elections scheduled for Friday July 17.
The rival groups started jostling for vantage positions at the venue. A confrontation started with fist-fights between few students and broke into an all-out war with stones and chairs flying in the air. The students destroyed university property during the fight.
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A number of students were injured while others fled the institution. But student leaders are trying to mediate talks with the university administration to rescind the decision.
“The situation is calming,” said the Mr Robert Ouko Gai, the security chairman of the Student Electoral Commission (SEC). “We have been served with a memo and given one hour to vacate. But we are talking to the DVC for student affairs to see if we can calm the situation and have the memo revoked.”
The students said the memo was not official as it is not stamped. “It is just a photocopy that has been signed,” he said.
A bloody clash between students and the police is looming at the university as law enforcers have been called in to evict the students. Meanwhile, PSV operators have raised fares between the university and Eldoret town, which is over 20km away.
(Additional reporting by Francis Muli in Moi University)
