Nairobi : Hundreds of Kenyan university students on Tuesday held a peaceful demonstration in Nairobi to condemn a terrorist attack that claimed 148 lives last week.
Waving placards that bore anti-terror messages, the students vowed to cooperate with Kenyan authorities to avert future attacks inside university campuses, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The terrorists have not broken our spirit after killing our comrades in Garissa University. We are united in our resolve to defeat this cowardly and heinous act,” said Raphael Papa Ragot, a student leader at Technical University of Kenya
Students from public and private universities held a candle lit vigil before proceeding to the office of the president where they presented a petition.
They urged authorities to deploy armed policemen to guard university campuses.
“We are requesting the government to provide us with adequate security personnel as the threat of terrorism becomes real. The country has lost intellectuals who could shape the future,” Ragot told reporters.
The protesting students waved placards that denounced terrorism while urging Kenyans to unite against a common enemy that transcends ethnic and religious divide.
Miki Murimi, a female university student, challenged the government to act on intelligence reports about impending terrorist attack.
“We have lost 148 innocent lives in the hands of cowardly merchants of death. The country should learn vital lessons from the tragedy like strengthening our pre-emptive capabilities,” said Murimi.
Victor Mukubali, a medical student, decried security loopholes within university campuses in Kenya.
“There are no armed guards or surveillance cameras in our universities. We request the government to tighten security around campuses,” Mukubali told reporters.
Somalia based Al Shabaab militants on April 2 stormed the Garissa University College and killed 148 people.
The only full-fledged university in northeastern Kenya that accommodated 850 students was closed indefinitely after the horrific terrorist attack.
The Kenyan education minister has promised students who survived the attack that they would be deployed to other universities to continue with their studies.