Moi University “Micro-comrades

Moi University, main campus has been invaded by bed bugs, alias “micro-comrades” some years back. The micro-comrades have been stumbling blocks to the students’ sleep.

 

 A close-up shot of Bed bugs on a student bed in Moi University hostels: Photo by Jackson Muli

Statistics show that in every student hostel more than 80% of the bed spaces have been invaded. Some years back the problem had been declared a disaster in the campus by the vice-chancellor, Prof. Mibey, initiating a stiff campaign of spaying medicinal concoctions to reduce the alarming population of micro-comrades. The campaign has not been an effective one due to poor procedures of its application. This is due to the failure of the health workers to first deal with bed bugs in the mattress stores together in the student hostels. The stores have not been attended in spite the hostels being attended. This has brought a kind of reversing the process as the bed bugs invading mattresses after the students clear their rooms and return the mattresses in the stores.

The comrades have also sacrificed their money in curbing the problem. They have bought the concoctions to spray their beddings but this has been reversed by the unattended stores when they return the mattresses.

The micro-comrades are very disturbing as they invade their hosts in the night when in a sleep. A big number of the students have tried sleeping while lights on but this has not been much effective. Other alternative ways that have been used is spending many hours of the night awake doing their own stuff or watching movies to reduce hours of blood sucking by the micro-comrades.

The students’ message is to the health department in the campus to revise their methods of fighting with the disaster. First they should make sure of dealing with the mattress stores before going to the student hostels. The bed bug invasion will remain a disaster in the campus till the time right procedures and measures will be taken.