On June 6, 2024, police used teargas and live bullets to disperse students from the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology (RIST) who had lit fires and barricaded the Eldoret-Nakuru Highway at Ngata Bridge during a protest.

The students were protesting RIST’s administration’s mismanagement of students’ tuition fees and inadequate classroom resources. The barricade of the highway resulted in a significant traffic jam. To disperse the crowd of protesters, police threw tear gas canisters and fired live rounds at students, some of whom were seen carrying stones and other weapons. Police also chased after students as they fled. The following afternoon on June 7, 2024, the RIST administration announced they would close the school indefinitely, citing safety concerns. 

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the use of force during a student protest. While state authorities have the responsibility to maintain order and prevent disruption, they must refrain from the disproportionate use of force and endangerment of civilians and must respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. Students must also refrain from violence. Such actions, beyond harming the immediate victims, have a chilling effect on academic freedom.

Sources:

*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) Kenyans.co; KTN News (Kenya); Star (Kenya)
https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/101411-nakuru-college-students-stage-demos-barricade-nakuru-eldoret-highway
https://businesstoday.co.ke/rvist-nakuru-campus-closes-following-student-protests/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inqZ9MqeYSc