That almost two years after their
infestation, Kenyatta University has not found a lasting solution to end the
blood sucking parasites is an embarrassment to the fastest growing
institution. It is not only worrying but a shame to the institution that prides
itself with modern infrastructure and world class facilities such as the post
Modern Library and the Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Centre. History of bed-bugs
can be traced back to the year 2010 when only one hostel In Nyayo zone was
infested. Hundreds of students could be seen airing their bedding on the sun
to get rid of these parasites that dwell in mattresses’ corners and wooden bed
frames. Sadly, this only rendered the parasites inactive during the day only to
reappear once the lights are off to feed on students’ blood during wee hours of
the night.
Many efforts have been ploughed
by students and their leaders to numb this annoying insects. Most notable ones
include the idea of using hot water in washing the bedding and cleaning the
whole room. The idea behind this is to kill the eggs that hatch fortnightly and
paralyze the existing ones. There is also the myth about the use of paraffin
which is poured around the bed joints to suffocate the insects and eventually
kill them. Proposals have also been written by students from various faculties
to the directorate of catering and accommodation illustrating ways of ending
this menace. However, none of them have been adopted, with the directorate siting high
cost of implementation.
Despite this, the department has
made frantic efforts to do away with these parasites. Major one being the
replacement of wooden bed frames with metallic ones as beg bugs were seen
thrive in hostels that had wooden bed frames. Hostels are also being sprayed
before students resume sessions and during the semester upon student's
’request.
Surprisingly, these efforts seem
to bear no fruits to the Institution. Barely six months after the replacement
of wooden bed frames, bed bugs are back again in most hostels. Interestingly,
the parasites have spread to other hostels beyond Nyayo zone although Nyayo
hostels still remains worst hit. A Walk
around these hostels reveals unpleasant sites as flower beds are covered with
mattresses’. Instead of green, blue (color of mattresses) has taken over the
color of nature. An aerial view may give the exact picture of the change of
color. Spraying of rooms have also not
done justice to thousands of affected students as the insects become active
once the smell is gone. Questions have been raised about the concentration
level of the chemicals used by the fumigators with some students seeing it as a
way of mincing money from the directorate by both the housekeepers and the fumigators.
The major argument is that students who have used their own means to acquire
the chemicals to spray their rooms hardly complains about the re-emergence of
the insects till the end of the semester. Whether this is a scandal it remains
up to the institution to investigate.
My take as a proud student of
Kenyatta University is, it is not the money nor lack of research to blame for
the current nightmare for students. Kenyatta University has vast resources,
man-power, money and facilities to end this crisis. It will not cost the
institution a fortune to engage in extensive research on effective ways of
curbing these insects from feasting on students or implementing some of the
proposals written by students. The amount that the directorate has used so far
would have been saved if only it would have taken the right precautions when
only one hostel was affected. Since this
is the nature of many Institutions’, the University must now treat this menace
as urgent, pull adequate resources and see an end to this shame.
Reagan Nyadimo
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