Business activities along the Meru-Nanyuki highway were brought to a halt on Friday, March 8, as students from Meru National Polytechnic staged demonstrations.
Hundreds of students took to the streets, barricading the main highway leading to Meru town and igniting a bonfire, effectively halting vehicular traffic.
The protest stemmed from the reported deaths of three students, allegedly struck by a speeding vehicle, prompting the demonstrators to demand justice for their fallen colleagues.
Even as the crowd continued to bulge, the students made a procession from the institution towards Meru town.
Enraged by the incident, the protesting students accused the police of their reluctance to take action against the driver, prompting them to demonstrate.
The students demanded immediate justice for the deceased even as they called on the relevant authorities to take action against the driver.
According to reports, the accident took place on Thursday, March 7, when a speeding car allegedly hit down three students, with one dying on the spot.
The other two students succumbed to their injuries while being transported to a nearby hospital. The trio was part of a group of students skating on a main road at the time of the accident.
The protests by Meru National Polytechnic students come a month after students at the Multimedia University in Nairobi staged protests after a student was mauled by hyenas while heading home.
While protesting, the students blocked the Magadi road which links Ongata Rongai to Nairobi and even lit bone fires.
The students accused the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) of a reluctance to curb hyenas which have caused menace by attacking students along the road accessing the institution.
They vowed not to back down until the matter was resolved, stating that it was not the first time that someone had been attacked by the stray hyenas.
