KU, why we must be quick to,listen and slow to judge

Granted, ugly things happened in KU last sunday. I feel a personal loss now that an office I worked from for three years is now a shell. The KUCU office went up in flames as all the other offices sharing the building with former KUSA offices.

I realise most guys removed from the happenings at KU (and probarbly in all these institutions of higher learning) will see what they are shown usually by the press. I mean the ghastly sight of buildings going up in flames, students injured, tear gas, screams, stones and the all too farmiliar war cry, 'comrades power!'. For a full view of the standard public response to student strikes see the second paragraph in Odegle Nyang's blog on this link ''odeglenyanginv.blogspot.

com''

There are three questions we must ask ourselves before we decide that the students were indeed out of order to behave like they did. This is not in any way to excuse the wanton distruction of property but simply to see what we can learn from all these. Who knows,a future VC might just be among you guys.

First, in the last seven years ( the ones i can confidently talk about) there was never a strike where students damaged university property to the magnitude witnessed on sunday. Why?

Secondly, there was never a time when students went on strike and the university closed indefinately twice in a record two weeks. Why

And thirdly, there was never a strike held at night. This one was. Why?

The publics reaction to student strikes is always one of outrage, one of wondering what the matter is with the students for them to engage in such thoughtless acts and malicious damage of property. Im sure that evryone who has been in a public university knows the drill- An issue comes up, authorities are slow to respond, students are 'incited', a group goes to the nearest public road, the rest of the students panic, riot police show up and the rest is history.

Back to KU,students destroying university property bespeaks a deep sense of detachment from the institution. They clearly have no sense of ownership and therefore do not feel the pain of destroying this property. Has something happened (or failed to happen) to cause KU students to feel less about KU compared to what students in the previous times have felt? UASU was quoted in the media (KTN prime) as having said the fines the students paid were 'hefty'. could they have then have felt justified to destroy university propoerty to use up the said fine?

For students to strike twice within two weeks is indeed a record of sorts. In the first instance the students affected by the registration issues couldnt have comprised a majority but their course seem to have won popular support. Suspension of student leaders now touched on every student and there was open pain -not remorse- by those who were able to raise the fine, and also a feeling of disgust among the students at the stringent method the university employed to receive them back. Many felt harrased right from the gate and movement between hostels was said to have been restricted hampering normal student habits. One couldnt get into a hostel without a yellow form now dubbed 'yellow card'. with this kind of pressure and exams due to start the very next day after the last group reported, some form of release valve had to be found.

The time for dialogue is usually before things get out of hand. At that point it is usually one of the options. After things have gone wrong its not just an option but a necessity. We can only hope that this is the direction the KU wagon will take. KU is an ISO certified University (the first public university to get there) and also the best performing state corporation on performance contacting, two years in a row.Its conflict management system doesnt seem to measure up.

It needs to be noted that the entire time Prof Standa was VC of KU, there was never a university closure as a result of students strike where their grivances were directly against a university policy position. The only time the university had to be closed was when the lecturers went on strike and coincidentally during the same period the students felt the need to protest the arrest of some of their colleagues after a culture week grand finale who attempted to hijack a bus. Prof Standa listened.

There are two sides to every conflict and looking at the students acts alone apart from the other university stakeholders actions is no better than to order a six month old baby to shut up when it cries to have its diapers changed.these issues have acontext each time and its this context that we must first understand before we jump into condeming actions by students. Our society has become increasingly voilent and paradoxically more open at the same time and there is need for seroius instituional reforms to include all parties in the major decisions since kenyans from all walks have learnt a new two word national anthem,'haki yetu'.whenever they feel infringed upon or excluded. Did you follow the Visa Oshwal story? these were prymo kids!

God bless KU!