Varsity raid a wake-up call

April 2 marked eight years since the Al-Shabaab terrorist group struck Garissa University College on a Thursday in 2015, leaving 148 students dead and 79 injured. The level of killing and destruction went down in history as one of the country’s deadliest terror attacks.

Despite a spike in enrollment from 750 then to 1,700, there are still traces of fear among potential students. This is a result of the psychological torture and fear from the traumatising raid among Kenyans. Security was later heightened at the college. 

Remembering the souls we lost—mainly Christians, who were the target—it’s high time security at learning institutions was revised. The big question the government should answer is, are we waiting for another terrorist attack to jolt us to action?

How often have you walked into these shopping malls, campuses, hospitals and any other meeting points unchecked? More often than not, you will be allowed in by “ingia tu (just enter)” security guards. 

And do our security systems work? One will easily discover that a good number of CCTV cameras erected within institutions don’t, mainly due to inadequate maintenance. They are there just to scare people or fool the public that the place is secured. 

The National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) should revise our security systems. When I joined Rongo University, I was shocked that a large segment of it was unfenced. One can easily access the premises from any point. Besides NCTC personnel visiting the college, nothing big has been done. But this is not the only culprit; we have many of them. 

That clearly shows how insecure students are. 

Mr Wafula is a media and communication student at Rongo University. [email protected].