Frequent deaths of varsity students signal a crisis that needs attention

Dennis Munene, a University of Nairobi law student who was found dead in Mombasa, is the latest among university students we have recently lost to sudden and violent deaths.

Munene, according to media reports, disappeared from his Kasarani home in Nairobi on May 9, only to be found dead in Mombasa, two weeks later.

Media reports have recently featured stories of other college students who have died in tragic circumstances; some killed by their lovers, others by police while quelling riots or pursuing suspected criminals.

INSTANT SUCCESS

Clearly, a silent crisis is unfolding within the university student community. This crisis is likely to deepen, unless it is duly recognised for what it is and measures implemented to address it.

This is especially so given concerns raised by experts in youth cultures and public health that the youth today face huge challenges in adapting to changing demands and responsibilities.

It is also a time when media cultures seem to celebrate and even encourage ostentatious consumption and leisure, hyper-visibility of celebrities, and instant material success that is now characterised by tales of jackpot winners in the now rampant betting cultures that target the youth.

Indeed, one of the taboo subjects in Kenya is the extent to which these social pressures and consumer cultures impact on the mental health of the youth, their sense of judgement, stamina to withstand peer influence, and sense of focus.

RESPONSIBILITIES

This is worsened by the sudden loss of social support networks when students, some fresh from secondary school, join universities that do not have accommodation spaces within their campuses.

The young adults rent houses in residential areas where they are abruptly inducted into the responsibilities of adulthood; paying rent and acting as adults in make-shift marriages to fit in their neighbourhoods.

Yet, they remain college going youth caught up in their cultures and corresponding expectations. 

The challenges of sudden transitions are confusing to the youth, and cumulatively make them unable to determine what is good for their future, with some embracing self-destructive habits such as drug and substance abuse.

EMOTIONAL SCARS

While the numbers of students who violently die under unclear circumstances is relatively small; more college students are vulnerable to emotional and psychological scars that arise from experiences that they were not adequately prepared for. 

With hindsight, it is now clear that university accommodation could be used as a holding fort for first and second year students, where they learn from each other in a controlled environment before being exposed to the world of adult responsibilities.

Indeed some, as other members of society, are living with different degrees of mental illnesses including chronic stress, low esteem, and even depression – for which universities and colleges are ill-equipped to assist them.

VIOLENCE

It is not right that college going age should coincide with the most precarious age for the Kenyan youth, who are now exposed to physical, emotional, and psychological violence because universities have their priorities elsewhere.

The death of Dennis Munene, and many other students who have died of late, should compel us to have open conversations on how best to help our youth to navigate around the challenges and excitements of young adulthood, instead of leaving them to grope in the dark on their own.

The writer teaches at the University of Nairobi.