Schools caught up in Kerio Valley crossfire

 

Students of St Benedict Arror Secondary School in Elgeyo Marakwet take cover at the dining hall after bandits launched an attack near their school. [Courtesy]

Panic has swept through schools in Kerio Valley following a series of recent attacks near learning institutions.

Elgeyo Marakwet Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) executive secretary Paul Biwott said security bosses met two weeks ago. They told teachers working in Kerio Valley that each school would be provided with security.

Biwott said the government went quiet on the promise and is yet to deploy security personnel. “Teachers and students are disturbed by the frequent attacks.”

The union also defended a principal reportedly victimised for sharing a video of girls taking cover under dining tables during an attack near their institution two weeks ago. St Benedict’s Arror Girls Secondary School headed by principal Lucy Okumu was attacked on Sunday. The video of the girls taking cover sparked a national uproar. Okumu was summoned and questioned for hours by security officials in Iten. But Biwott said the principal should not be victimised. 

He added: “We met the County Commissioner, Teachers Service Commission and the Education ministry over the matter. The principal shared what transpired in the school.”

“The principal had no intention of embarrassing the police. She was calling for urgent action, and she should not be intimidated for raising the alarm over the security situation,” Biwott said.

This month, according to police reports, attacks have happened in areas near the compounds of at least five schools. In the latest attack, two women and a man were shot dead outside the Liter Primary School gate. The victims were Jeniffer Kanda, 45, Selina Chelang’a, 47, and Kaptich Kipkerio, 40.

On Wednesday, a man was shot dead at Koibirir near St Paul’s Kapkondot Secondary School. A day later, a herder was killed near Kombases Primary School in the volatile Kerio Valley. On Friday night, gunshots were heard near Queen of Peace Secondary School. Earlier at 5am on Friday, bandits raided Lukuget Secondary School and attempted to run away with school goats, but they were repulsed by locals. 

Leaders from the region have called for the urgent deployment of National Police Reservists who were withdrawn in 2019.

Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen said Interior CS Fred Matiang’i promised an escalated state response after the Friday attack. Elgeyo Marakwet Deputy Governor Wisley Rotich said the bandits are targeting schools to scare learners who are preparing for exams in March.

But Marakwet East Deputy County Commissioner Simon Osumba said all schools in the volatile valley are secure and learning was ongoing. “We are urging parents not to panic. NPR will be deployed to schools,” he said.

Osumba said a meeting between political leaders and security officials from Kerio Valley will be held at Loiwat in Baringo County on Tuesday. He said leaders, locals, and security officers need to play their role in ending banditry.

Elgeyo Marakwet County Commissioner John Korir said he was unsure why the gun battles were shifting from grazing fields to areas near schools.

He said suspected bandits are only targeting livestock grazing areas near schools.

“The bandits are not targeting schools. We are looking for a lasting solution on this issue, that is why we have sent our teams to the ground,” the county commissioner who reported on Monday said.