One dies as Kenya university drill sparks ‘terror attack’ panic

One person died and two Kenyan students were severely injured on Monday as they fled after hearing gunshots fired during a security drill at a university campus in Nairobi, thinking it was a terror attack. Images showed terrified students standing on window ledges at the Strathmore University as the gunshots rang out, according to Al Jazeera.

One person died and two Kenyan students were severely injured on Monday as they fled after hearing gunshots fired during a security drill at a university campus in Nairobi, thinking it was a terror attack. Images showed terrified students standing on window ledges at the Strathmore University as the gunshots rang out, according to Al Jazeera.

Outrage grew on social media after the incident, with many alleging the university had failed to issue a warning before the drill.

Police later said it was just a security exercise at the campus, close to the centre of the capital, Nairobi.

Strathmore Uni students teetering on the edge about to take a leap. it was all a drill. pic.twitter.com/O5bcmPEaHK

— James Smart (@jamessmat) November 30, 2015

The university confirmed to Al Jazeera that a 33-year-old staff member died “from severe head injuries”. It was not immediately what led to the staff member’s death, but local media reports said several people jumped from the third storey of a building to flee “attackers”.

The university said that prior training had been provided to teams of security marshals, comprising students and staff. “This simulation was aimed at testing the preparedness of the university community and emergency team in the event of an attack,” the statement said. “Unfortunately some students and staff panicked and got injured”

That was not a drill, that was a terror attack at #Strathmore. A terror attack carried out by Strathmore University upon it's students.

— Sam Gichuru (@SamGichuru) November 30, 2015

Several people in Kenya expressed anger on Twitter over the incident. “It’s terrifying when you see your fellow classmates jumping from 3rd floor and there is nothing you can do,” a user posted.

Kenya has seen several attacks launched by al Qaeda-linked and Somali-led Shebab insurgents in recent years.

They include an April massacre at Garissa university in which 148 people were killed, and a 2013 assault on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall that killed 67.