Garissa University's Future Uncertain After Devastating Attack

Strategic Insights -

Garissa University College, located in northern Kenya's first university, has been in operation for four years but may never see a graduating class due to the attack by Somalia-based Al Shabab militants that killed 148 people on April 2. The attack has left the institution and the community reeling, with the Kenya National Teachers Union demanding its immediate shut down. The union suggested that the university be turned into a "security installation" and handed over to the police. Families across Kenya grieve the loss of life, while Garissa residents worry about the potential loss of a school that offered young people something to aspire to.

Key Takeaways:

  • Garissa University College, Kenya's first university in northern Kenya, may not graduate a class due to the devastating attack by Al Shabab militants.
  • The Kenya National Teachers Union has demanded the immediate shut down of the university and suggested it be turned into a "security installation."
  • The attack has left the community reeling, with many residents worried about the potential loss of the institution that offered opportunities to young people.
  • Garissa is a gateway to the arid and sparsely populated region that has been repeatedly attacked by Al Shabab in recent years.
  • The community emphasizes the need for education, not more security, as a driving force for peace.
  • The university's presence brought opportunities for locals, with over 100 working in low-skill jobs, and put money into the pockets of the local population.
  • The presence of the university also led to new construction projects, business opportunities, and infrastructure development.
  • The attack has highlighted the contentious issue of sending people to the northeast from other parts of Kenya, with hundreds of teachers refusing to report for duty in the region.

Statistics:

  • 148 people killed in the April 2 attack by Al Shabab militants.
  • Over 28 Christians, many of them civil servants, killed in the November bus attack in Mandera County.
  • Hundreds of teachers refused to report for duty in the northeast region in the aftermath of the attacks.
  • Over 100 locals worked at the university in low-skill jobs.
  • 67 universities in Kenya, with Garissa University College being the only one located in the north.
  • The university had a student enrollment of over 800, with only a handful of local students.

Sources:

  • "Garissa is the gateway to the arid, sparsely populated region hugging the Somali border, which Al Shabab has repeatedly crossed in recent years to make scores of attacks." - No source specified.
  • "The school may never see a graduating class." - Ariel Zirulnick
  • "The Kenya National Teachers Union, headed by Wilson Sossion, demanded the immediate shut down of the university." - Ariel Zirulnick
  • "We had a lot of hope. Our hopes are now dust," says Hassan Sheikh Ali, the first principal of Garissa Teachers Training College. - Ariel Zirulnick
  • "Education is the driving force for peace," Mr. Ali says. - Ariel Zirulnick
  • "If [the university] is closed, we will be playing into the hands of Al Shabab." - Ariel Zirulnick