Garissa University College, the only public university in northern Kenya, was targeted by Al-Shabaab gunmen shortly after 5am.
Prior to this incident, the town of Garissa had experienced 11 previous attacks, yet the university had not been considered a high-risk target.
However, its status as a public place where individuals from various ethnic groups gathered daily made it vulnerable to attack.
A week before the incident, security agencies reported a potential plot by Al-Shabaab targeting a public institution in the country.
