Thika University Students In The Process Of Forming A Political Movement.

MKUSA President Charles Karondo (centre) being franked by some students leaders while addressing the press at the MKU hall

Students from universities and higher institutions of learning are seeking greater autonomy in the country’s leadership and now plan to form a political party and participate in the forthcoming General Elections, a move that is likely to unsettle local and national leadership.

Speaking at the Mount Kenya University (MKU), MKUSA President Charles Kamau Karondo said that the more than 50, 000 students will champion their agenda through the movement adding that they were now tired of being misused by politicians especially during the forthcoming electioneering period.  The students vowed to no longer bow to politicians who sought their support only for them shortchanged and left nursing injuries from violent rallies.  

  

“We want to take back our future. Street activism is not enough if we want to fight for a better future. We have to enter the system, create a political party and shape the political agenda, in order to drive forward our agenda for self-determination.  We have Thika Technical, MKU, Gretsa University, Thika Institute of Business Studies (TIBS) among others and we needs the rights of students be heard by the leaders and we will do that using our numbers,” Karondo said.    

He equated Thika as a students’ centre with virtually every town in the republic being represented in these learning institutions. It is for this reason he appealed to all the students to enroll themselves as members of this party and register as voters in this town.

Karondo said that Thika leaders gave the students a wide berth not considering that they spent majority of their time in this town. He added that their issues were ignored and survived for the four years in school with no one consider their grievances. He said that, as students, all they wanted was to be part of the development agenda in the areas that they resided by participating in the election of the leaders.  

He therefore requested the students to use their numbers in demanding for a voice in the decision making programmes in their areas of residence.

“I personally appeal to the youth, college and university students to register in great numbers as voters so that they can use their numbers and demand recognition from the politicians. We feel that both the national and county government leaders don’t listen to us nor address our plight because they have this notion that we did not vote for them,” said Karondo.  

He said that for a long time politicians perceived the universities as a source of cheap goons for hire and urged all students not to be used to cause chaos. He reminded them that they were intellects and their lives were worth more than the Kshs.500 the politicians hired them to cause chaos.

“Gone are the days when university students were used to disrupt rallies. This time round we want development and issue-based politics,” he said.  

The students appealed to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to establish polling station in some of these universities and colleges since they qualified for one due to their numbers.

“The government knows that in institutions of higher learning everyone is a voter as we are all above 18 years and we at times find it hard to go queuing with our grandfathers and grandmothers to vote,” said Karondo.