Learning at Bandari Maritime Academy in Mombasa came to a standstill on Monday, March 17, after students clashed with police in running battles while protesting over a range of issues.
Armed with placards, the students staged demonstrations outside the institution, decrying poor management and the alleged issuance of substandard certificates.
According to the students, the school's management was also disrupting learning activities due to its alleged failure to pay lecturers, who in response, boycotted classes, leaving students in limbo.
The students also raised concerns over the credibility of their certification, claiming that the certificates issued by the college were not internationally recognised, thus hindering their chances of securing employment, particularly abroad.
"There is a very big problem with certification at this institution," one of the students lamented. "Most of these certificates are not recognised internationally, and this has left many of our graduates jobless."
Another student lamented and faulted the management for hampering academic progress by failing to issue updates on the status of their examination results.
"We are frustrated because some of us are subjected to multiple continuous assessment tests (CATs) and exams, yet we do not receive our results," the student claimed.
As tensions escalated, the protests turned chaotic following the intervention of police, who fired teargas canisters in an attempt to disperse the irate students. One student sustained injuries after coming into contact with one of the canisters.
Five students have since been arrested in connection with the unrest caused by the protests.
The trend of college students resorting to protests has become a familiar sight in the country in recent months, with the Bandari Maritime Academy incident occurring barely a week after students from the Multimedia University of Kenya took to the streets.
On Monday, March 10, MMU students barricaded roads and engaged police officers in running battles after the death of one of their own, who reportedly lost his life in a hit-and-run incident.
The deceased was a second-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology at the time of his demise.
