Unclear if any South Africans hurt in Kenya attack
"Not that we know of. We have not been alerted to any South Africans that are there," spokesperson Clayson Monyela told News24.
Kenyan police told the BBC that gunmen shot guards at the university's gate at around 05:30 local time.
Nearby policemen then exchanged fire with the gunmen, who later fled into the university buildings.
Troops have since surrounded the university, nearly 200km from the Somali border, with reports of heavy gunfire and explosions.
At this stage, eight people have been confirmed killed. One was a police officer and two others were security guards.
Kenya's National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) tweeted that 29 people had been injured and admitted to hospital, four of which were in a critical condition.
The centre said the majority of those injured had gunshot wounds.
Earlier, the NDOC tweeted that other major facilities and institutions in the town had been locked down.
NewsWire ID : 136
File photo: Twitter