Hundreds of Kenyans have held a vigil in a Nairobi park in memory of the victims of last week’s massacre at Garissa, their sadness mixed with anger.

It has emerged that the authorities learned of the attack before dawn. But it was seven hours before police commandos trained to deal with such a situation flew to the scene.

“They died. It was preventable but all we are saying in Kenya is that corruption killed them because if there was not corruption in this country that would have been prevented,” said human rights activist and vigil organiser Boniface Mwangi.

The photos of the 148 dead, posted in the park as well as on social media, were a deliberate reminder that the victims were not just numbers – that human beings had been killed, lives destroyed.

Earlier, students marched in the capital to demand more security from the government.

Several men suspected of links to the attack appeared in court on Tuesday.

They were remanded in custody as the chief magistrate granted pros