Photos: Garissa Universiy reopens amidst tight security 9 months after the terrorist attack that left 147 dead

In a move that has been hailed by many as
resilient and triumphant in the fight against
terrorism, Garissa University College reopened
Monday, January 4, nine months after it was
closed down following a terrorist attack by Al-
Shabaab that resulted in the deaths of 148
people, most of them students.
A memo to staff and students stated that an
academic board meeting would take place
following the reopening. Both academic and non
academic staff were asked to report back on
Wednesday.
109 students who survived the attack will have
their fees paid for a year by the French
government. They will also be given a living
allowance, according to a statement by the
French Embassy back in November 17.



The university was reopened amidst heightened
security, as the varsity’s staff assembled for the
first staff meeting. During the low-key ceremony
at the institution, the college principal, Prof
Ahmed Osman Warfa, said most of the staff had
reported back to work.
The campus, a constituent college of the Eldoret-
based Moi University, was the scene of a 10-hour
siege when Al-Shabaab gunmen stormed it in the
early hours of April 2, 2015.
Since then, a police post has been set up within
the campus to increase security, and Prof Warfa
said the government would spend Sh230 million
to erect a permanent perimeter fence equipped
with a closed-circuit TV (CCTV) monitoring unit in
the coming months.