Students of the Kenya Science yesterday threatened to go on strike if the government fails to reverse a decision to relocate the institution.
“We are going to demonstrate and it will be very violent,” said UoN student leader Paul Ongili, known as Babu Owino. He spoke to the press yesterday.
Kenya Science is a constituent college of the University of Nairobi.
On September 9, Education CS Fred Matiang’i ordered the institution moved — effective yesterday.
Students said it was irrational to evict them from their campus, without being shown where to move.
The 1,038 students are required to make room for students from the Kenya Technical Teachers College.
The teachers’ Gigiri campus has been given by the state to the United Nations to build a second UN complex.
Speaking at the UoN main campus, Owino said they have given the government one week to revoke the decision or the students will go on strike.
“We warn the government it is not going to take this institution from us. Any attempts to do so will have severe consequences,” he said.
Owino said Kenya Science students are carrying on with their studies in well-equipped facilities and laboratories.
That’s not what they will find elsewhere, he said.
“We have modern laboratories that are enhancing our studies to enable the country achieve Vision 2030. Moving us will alter this,” he said. Owino also criticised deployment of security officers in the institution.
“We shall not be intimidated by the government. If they want, they can deploy all the GSU officers in the institution but we are ready to defend our college,” he said.
On November 29, the Commission on Administrative Justice recommended relocation plans be halted, saying the CS had not carried out necessary consultations.
Kenya Science was established in 1965 through a partnership between the Kenyan and Swedish governments.
It initially trained S1 teachers to teach sciences and technical education, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. It was handed over to the University of Nairobi in October 9, 2007.
The name was changed from the Kenya Science Teachers College to the Kenya Science Campus.
