The Kenya Polytechnic was yesterday closed indefinitely on the second day of student unrest.

According to a notice on the main gate of the institution, signed by the college principal, Mr E L Kisame, all the students were ordered to vacate their hostels with immediate effect until further notice.

The closure came as a contingent of General Service Unit (GSU) personnel was deployed to the institution to beef up police presence. Yesterday's riots started at 10 am when the students converged at the Haile Sellasie Avenue and pelted motorists with stones.

The windscreens of several vehicles were smashed as the students used slings to hurl stones at passers-by.They barricaded the road interfering with the flow of traffic.

Some of the students proceeded to loot electronic goods from a nearby shop at the Embassy House.

Others attempted to burn a City bus before anti-riot police led by the Officer Commanding Central Police Division (OCPD) Japheth Koome intervened and stopped them.

The police shot several tear gas canisters at the rowdy mob of students and dispersed them using batons.

Three truck loads of anti-riot police then drove into the institution and proceeded to disperse all the students while arresting several suspects, effectively ending the riots.

The riots started on Wednesday after police dispersed the students who had camped outside Jogoo House to protest the appointment of Mr Njuguna Ngatia as deputy principal of the institution. Journalists and policemen were injured in the skirmishes.

Among those injured were the East African Standard Chief photographer Hudson Wanaina and an intern with Nation Television network Hakubwa Owino. Wainaina was admitted at the Mater Hospital with a head wound.

The Standard Group Managing Editor Wachira Waruru and the Nation Media Group's Wangethi Mwangi condemned the attack on Journalists

Meanwhile,16 students of the institution were yesterday arraigned before a Nairobi court charged with taking part in a riot.

The accused who looked pensive, denied the charge before Chief Magistrate Aggrey Muchelule. The prosecution was led by Superintendent Moses Odoyo.

The accused include Moses Kanyeki, Edward Karanja Kinyanjui, Kingslet, Mutuku Musya, Nelson Otieno Shikuku, Peter Ndungu Ithibu, Kephas Odhiambo, Fredrick Otieno, Benson Ochieng, Phili P Mutakha, Nelson Waweru, Dickson Nyambori, Cleophas Obonyo and George Otieno.

They have denied that on May 21, along Haile Salassie Avenue in Nairobi they took part in a riot.

The court ordered each student could be released on a cash bail of Sh10,000 or a bond of Sh20,000. Their case will be heard on July 1.

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