Mount Kenya University Director, Kisii Campus, Prof Omao Getabu has called on the government to erect speed bumps near the institution to prevent accidents.
Speaking to journalists on Friday in his office, Prof Getabu denied reports that the institution’s students were soliciting money from motorists after an accident that took place near the college killing a middle-aged woman.
The woman was hit by a matatu heading to Migori from Kisii town near Gesonso on Thursday as she was crossing the road. She died instantly.
He said the students were venting their anger after the fatal accident. “Its true that our students held demos and erected artificial bumps but I say no to allegations of extorting money from motorists. We have not heard of any case of indiscipline from our students and therefore we would want to maintain our reputation as an institution of higher learning. Whoever was making such allegations is leaning on a baseless pillar,” he confirmed.
He added, “What happened is that the students became furious after the accident demanding erection of bumps but they did not harm or interfere with anybody’s business because the dean and I talked to them (students) and told them to calm down.”
A motorist plying the Kisii-Migori Road had raised a complaint that the students had threatened to attack him if he did not give them money.
“I was driving to Kisii and when I arrived at Gesonso area, the university students told me to give them money or else I see fire. However, they left me after a couple of minutes. This is wrong because I am not the one who caused the accident and even it could be so, there is a proper way of handling such an issue and not by taking the law into their own hands,” the driver by the name Andrew said.
However, Prof Getabu is hopeful that the bumps will be erected soon for to ensure safety of road users.
“We have complained and demanded for the erection of the bumps for a long time now. I wrote a letter to the Highway regional officer in Kisumu who later sent officers to inspect and make recommendations. For safety purposes, we are expecting at least five bumps to be erected,” he said.