Vasity students loot shop in a night-time demonstration

Early this morning, students of Moi University’s main campus pretended to be surprised at the 3-hour damages they caused yesterday evening, approximately Ksh. 300,000 (figures quoted by one student leader).

 It all began yesterday, with a power blackout in the SOWETO hostels that persisted past the students’ ‘cooking hours’. Charged with hunger and frustration, the students collected themselves into a mass movement and began a demonstration towards the administration block, where, being on a Sunday, little help could be obtained.

The demonstrators then matched to the students’ centre, where they forced the director of Security and Accommodation, Mr. Beryl Guyo, to officially announce a peaceful demonstration as from 9am the following day. Left with no other option, Guyo declared the demonstration and even urged students to turn out in large numbers.

However, that seemed to be a story of another day, otherwise the students had to find a way of filling up their stomachs. From the students’ centre, they matched from one hostel to the other around SOWETO area with shouts and whistles, a strategy that was purely meant to expand the crowd. It worked.

Then it was time for supper and The Moon Shop was identified as the nearest point to serve the hungry students. It took them almost an hour to break the strong metallic door and the looting began. It was around 11pm. Nothing was forgiven, from loaves of bread, cash money (from MPESA), juices, flour, to anything else present in the shop, including pampers.

To the left of The Moon Shop is a chips café, which sells chips, chapattis, maandazi, sausages and sausages. A better section of the crowd killed their hunger at this point.

At around midnight, the students went to bed, having caused what they are now getting surprised at.

Avaaye nusu uchi ni sharti avuliwe

Kwa mara ya kwanza ninatoa kauli yangu kuhusu lile tukio lililoshuhudiwa maeneo ya Embakasi jijini Nairobi, mnamo siku ya Jumanne.

Kanda kadhaa za video zilinasa genge la wanaume wakishirikiana katika shughuli pevu ya kumvua nguo mwanamke mmoja, kwa madai kwamba mtindo wake wa mavazi ulikosa maadili katikati mwa jiji. Kanda hizo zimekuwa zikizagaa mitandaoni hasa ile ya kijamii kama vile Facebook, Twitter, na katika hifadhi ya video ya YouTube; Hata mimi nikajipatia nakala yangu.

Mengi yamesemwa kuhusu kitendo hicho, huku wengi wakionekana kuegemea upande wa muathiriwa huyo, wakiwashtumu vikali wahusika waliomvua nguo. Swadakta. Hata mimi ningepagawa iwapo jambo hilo lingemtukia mke wangu, mchumba au mpendwa yeyote wa karibu. Aibu iliyoje? Si vyema.

Hata hivyo, upanga wangu ni mkali, upatao kuwili. Hebu tuangazie eneo la tukio. Ni Nairobi, mji mkuu wa Kenya, nchi ambayo imejikita katika mizizi ya tamaduni za kiafrika na hilo si la kupingwa.

Hebu niwaulize wale wanaoshikilia msimamo kwamba wale waliotekeleza kitendo hicho walikosea na wanapaswa kushtakiwa. Je, huyo kipusa hakukosea alipotoka nyumbani kwake akijua amevalia nguo zilizoanza kuchelewa na kuisha mapema?

Najua mabaya mawili hayazai sahihi, lakini wakati wote enyi wasichana muwe makini kimavazi. Mjue kwamba mnapotembea katikati ya wanaume, kunao wasiosumbuka na wengine wenye mioyo dhaifu. Si vyema mwenzako kumpandishia hisia na baadaye hutamsaidia.

Namalizia kwa kuwapongeza sana wale wote waliojitolea kumsaidia mwanamke huyo, aliyekuwa amejiweka nusu uchi lakini kwa ushirikiano wao wakamfanya awe uchi kikamilifu. Hiyo ndiyo adhabu mwafaka impasayo mwanamke yeyote atakayevaa mavazi yasiyomsitiri hadharani. Tafadhalini wenzangu popote mlipo, nawarai tena kwa moyo mkunjufu, mkiona mwanamke mwengine kama huyo mvueni kabisa, msisaze hata chupi!

First years top in campus pregnancies

In almost all faculties of Moi University's main campus, current first year groups seem to lead in the number of pregnancy cases compared to their senior counter-parts.

This comes as a surprise because in the recent years, those joining public universities are generally perceived as being one year younger than those who joined in 2011 and before.

Before 2012, a students would stay for over 20 months after KCSE, waiting to join campus. This, in my opinion, gave them a chance to learn one or two things about the world. By the time such students began their final phase of the 8-4-4 education system, they were already mature as well as able to think and act like adults.

Today, this is no longer the case. Candidates complete their secondary education and immediately proceed to higher education, just the following year. This, according to me, is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to them.

In Moi University for instance, there is always a clear distinction between first years and the seniors. In the funny way they behave; walking in groups as if heading to a Physics contest, laughing and getting surprised at everything, bouncing along the paths as if trying to scare form ones; one finds no difficulty in identifying them, the former form fours.

Like in most campuses, first year female students are always the main target for senior male students. Their naivety always betrays them.

As innocent as they are, one thing leads to another, ending up yelling loudly inside rooms of senior male hostels, with no one willing to show up to their rescue. A few weeks later, resultant fruits begin to mould- pregnancy! The consequence of early exposure to maximum freedom.

What then can be done to rescue the situation? Public universities should incorporate 'funny' programs like sex education, guidance and counseling that help such young girls learn how to say no. This will in turn assist them to avoid a situation where a lady acquires two degrees at ago- one in her head, the other in her stomach!