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1st LD Writethru: Terror-hit Kenyan university reopens 9 months after massacre

Xinhua, January 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya's Garissa University College, which was attacked by terrorists in April last year, reopened on Monday, nine months after Al-Shabaab militants killed 148 people, mostly students.

"Between now and then, the college will be busy with formulating programmes, policies that were disrupted following the terror attack," College Principal Professor Ahmed Warfa told journalists in Garissa town, which is near the Somali border.

He said learning for privately-sponsored students program will start on Jan. 11 while admission of the regular students is set for September.

Also all former students who relocated to Moi university, the parent university of Garissa University College, in western Kenya's Eldoret City, will continue with their studies there and only fresh admissions will be done later in the year, said Warfa.

The principal said the majority of teaching and non-teaching staff that relocated to the main campus in Eldoret after the college was closed following the terror attack have started reporting back for duty.

A spot check showed a low-key activity at the institution while security to the college compound was tight as armed police officers in collaboration with the institution's security subjected all visitors, including journalists, vehicles, to a thorough security check.

"We worked extremely hard to have the only university in northeast Kenya reopened in Garissa. We shall not allow small boys running around with guns to scare us," Warfa said.

The East African nation shares porous border with Somalia, which makes it hard to thwart potential terrorists, particularly Al-Shabaab militants, from crossing over to target innocent Kenyans.

The northeast region has bore the brunt of insecurity since Kenya took its troops to Somalia to fight the Al-Shabaab group in 2011.

Warfa reiterated that terrorism is a global problem and not unique to Garissa. "It happened in Paris and it can happen anywhere in the world. This should not dampen our resolve to have Garissa University up and running," he added.

Warfa said a 3 million U.S. dollar perimeter wall will be constructed and fitted with CCTV cameras as one way of securing the institution.

The college has also put up a police post with 25 police officers stationed on a 24-hour basis to secure and patrol the institution. Enditem