Business came to a standstill in Nakuru after students from the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology (RVIST) took to the streets in protest at what they said was a lack of proper facilities at the school.

The protests began at the school's administration offices, but police managed to disperse the students, causing the chaos to spill over to the business centre outside the school.

Police in civilian clothes trying to disperse protesting RVIST students in Nakuru.

Photo credit: Bret Sanya/Mtaa Wangu

Police clashed with some of the students in the business centre near the school and soon the students made their way to the Nakuru-Eldoret highway along the Ngata Bridge where they managed to block the highway by burning tyres on the road.

According to RVIST Students' Association secretary general Mutugi Shadrack, they had raised several issues with the school administration, with the main challenge being the lack of adequate facilities to cater for the growing student population.

Police releasing a tear gas canister at the crowd in Ngata, Nakuru.

Photo credit: Bret Sanya/Mtaa Wangu

"We don't have enough classrooms and there are not enough chairs in the institution for the students to sit on during classes, but the school is admitting more and more students which is making the situation worse. In the last session we had about 8,000 students and now the number has increased to 1,300 students, not forgetting those who are in attachments, so the number could be about 11,000 students," Mutugi Shadrack said.

The secretary-general said they had approached the school's management on February 22 over the issue and they had promised that they would have found a solution to the crisis by the time the school reopened for this term in May.

Watch: RVIST students on strike burn tires along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway at the Ngata bridge

"In addition, we had a problem with the budget of the Students' Union, we have a way in which we normally calculate our budget from the payment of the Students' Union fee, so you find that the administration does not want the students to spend their own money. So you find that only a small amount is given to the students, so we wonder where the rest of the money goes when it should be for the needs of the students in the school," he said.

According to a memo from the school's management, seen by Mtaa Wangu, all learning activities at the institution have been suspended indefinitely.

RVIST students on strike burning tires along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway.

Photo credit: Bret Sanya/Mtaa Wangu

"It is therefore decided that all college programmes are suspended indefinitely and all students are ordered to vacate the college premises. Students will be advised as to when they can resume their studies," read part of the memo.

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Bret Sanya