DPA/Nairobi
Gunshots and explosives let off by police in a security drill caused panic yesterday at a university in Nairobi with four students injured in the ensuing chaos, the university and witnesses said.
Ambulances rushed to Strathmore University after students jumped off the second floor of a university building during classes to escape the gunshots, witnesses told DPA. Students were also seen crossing the Nairobi River near the university to escape what many believed was an attack by terrorists.
The Kenya Red Cross Society said its ambulances rushed at least four students to different hospitals in Nairobi after the incident.
“Students and staff were evacuated by security marshals from all the buildings,” the university said. “We thank students for cooperation and the Red Cross for their speedy response.”
But many students dismissed claims by the university administration that they were aware of the terrorism drill.
The live gunshots were part of a security drill to prepare the university community for terrorist attacks, Nairobi provincial police commander Japheth Koome said.
Students showed spent cartridges to DPA after the event and witnesses said explosives were used.
The drill caused panic around Nairobi, with several students calling family to report a perceived terrorist attack, fearing a repeat of a bloodbath at Garissa University earlier in the year. At least 148 people were killed when Shebaab militants stormed the campus at Garissa University in north-east Kenya in April.
Strathmore University set up an emergency hotline to respond to urgent questions about the safety of students after the incident.
Kenya’s National Disaster Preparedness Operations Centre, which carries out the security drills, confirmed that the incident was a drill.
“Note that there is no terror attack at Strathmore University but a drill is being carried out at the institution. People should not panic,” the centre said via its Twitter account.
A local radio station, Capital FM, said the terrorism drill also caught police officers in the Langata suburb by surprise.
According to the station, the police who carried out the security drill were drawn from the paramilitary Administration Police Unit, but regular police were only informed of the drill once it was underway.
Students search for their belongings at Strathmore University in Nairobi.
