State House Officials Accused of Interfering with SONU Elections and Arming Students

Key Office of the President officials based at Harambee House and State House are on the spot as the Students Organisation of Nairobi University election nears.

The State House officials are seeking to sponsor students from the GEMA community to remove others from the leadership of SONU. The officials close to President Uhuru Kenyatta are led by former SONU chairman, Dann Mwangi, who is a senior political advisor of the President.

Dann Mwangi is said to be providing monetary and other resources to key students in University of Nairobi to vie for SONU leadership. While meeting the students he wants to run, Mr Mwangi always claim that he is a messenger of President Uhuru Kenyatta who he says, wants to see students from the Kikuyu community in SONU top leadership.

Three weeks ago, Dann Mwangi met a group of students from the GEMA community at the Sharks Restaurant along Kiambu road. He urged the student to vote for one of their own during the SONU elections which are suppose to happen in early April 2015.

Mr Mwangi together with 4 other State House officials met candidates who are from the Kikuyu community at Ole Sereni hotel. He brought loads of cash and provided the students with the same. Two of the students whom State House wants to run have been provided with arms and bodyguards to enable them to campaign in the campus. The student who have already been provided with bodyguards and arms are Dennis Nyaga and Mike Kuria. A third student, Bena Mburu, was promised security but has not received any.

Yesterday evening, Dann Mwangi held a similar meeting with other students at the San Valencia restaurant which located at the Anniversary Towers.

The move by State House officials to support students in the SONU elections has brought tension among students in the campuses with most of them voicing concern. As the campaigns hots up, young students hosted in the various campuses of the University of Nairobi are looking for ways of securing themselves and their belongings as the elections are always characterised by gunfights and rowdiness.