Garissa university: locals question calls to shut down a beacon of hope

(The Christian Science Monitor) It has been four years since Garissa University College opened its doors as northern Kenya’s first university. But the school may never see a graduating class. 

The attack by Somalia-based al-Shabaab militants that killed 148 people last week was a devastating blow to an institution that brought hope to this town at the southern end of the heavily marginalized and largely Muslim region. 

It's the only one of Kenya's 67 universities that is located in the north, which covers more than half of Kenya. The school enrolled only a handful of local students out of more than 800, yet it was still the pride of Garissa.