Teachers ask government to beef up security on West Pokot-Turkana border

Teachers in school along the volatile Turkana-West Pokot border have urged the national government to beef up security in the region to facilitate learning.

Schools opened yesterday after half term break amid concern of security of the learners and tutors in schools along the bandit prone region.

Some of the teachers who spoke to The Standard in Kitale said they are worried about their safety due to persistent fighting between two communities in the area.

The teachers expressed fear that escalating insecurity at the border will affected learning in the schools and urged the government to protect the institutions.

"We are headed to back to school but we are fear of our safety. We want the government to beef up security at our institutions to protect us from bandit attacks,’’ said a teacher teaching at a high school in Turkana South sub-county.

The teacher who declined to be named due to security reasons said tension along the border is a challenge to development activities and urged for a long lasting solution to the problem.

The group argued the prevailing security situation in the region will hinder proper learning at school unless adequate security is provided.

‘’We need favourable working environment to discharge our mandate and there is urgent need for the government to ensure sanity,’’ said the teacher.

At the same time, transporters between Kitale and Lodwar towns complained over insecurity along the highway.

The transporters said bandit attack has disrupted their business and urged for security escort to protect them from banditry.

"We are petitioning the government to deploy security escort to protect us from bandits. Frequent attacks has affected our business of transporting good to Lodwar and Kakuma towns,’’ said Peter Njoroge- a transport operator plying the Kitale-Lodwar road.