Schools shut as insecurity worsens in Baringo

Residents who have fled Chebinyiny village in Arabal, Baringo south, camp at Nyimbei area following attacks by bandits on Tuesday. Many schools have been closed as a result of insecurity. [PHOTOS:KIPSANG JOSEPH/STANDARD]

Learning has been paralysed in some parts of Baringo north and south because of insecurity.

More than 20 primary and secondary schools have been closed down as insecurity, attributed to illegal guns and cattle rustling, intensified.

Baringo County Commissioner Peter Okwanyo said teachers and learners in the affected areas have fled to safer grounds for fear of being attacked.

The affected primary schools in Baringo south include Arabal, Kapindasum, Chebinying, Nyimbei, Kasiela, Sinoni, Keon, Tuyotich, Chemorongion, Kapkechir, and Kabi.

CLOSED DOWN

The secondary schools that have been shut include Embosos, Nyimbei, and Tuiyotich.

“Education has been disrupted, with teachers and learners escaping to safer areas to avoid being attacked by bandits,” said Mr Okwanyo.

He said police officers have been sent to schools where bandits are said to operate from.

The raiders are said to have taken over Ngelecha Primary School in Arabal two years ago, prompting the Ministry of Education to deregister it.

“Police are conducting regular patrols at schools where bandits are said to be operating from,” said the commissioner.

Last Wednesday, Philemon Kipkemoi, a teacher at Kapindasum, was killed as he went home after school.

Moses Kiptiechkoi, a teacher in the area, said the assailants shot the teacher.

“We heard gun shots and cries from our colleague. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the scene, he was already dead,” said Kiptiechkoi.

The teacher said the raiders were still operating from Ngelecha Primary School, terrorising the residents.

“We are demanding security because raiders have taken over a school and flashed out pupils,” said the teacher, adding that police officers should intensify operations to bring back normalcy to the area.

“I’m a victim of bandits. I was forced to flee my home in 2008 and currently, the situation is worse. We cannot continue operating this way. The government should take stern action,” he said.

MISSION FAILED

The county commissioner said the bandits had tried to raid a GSU camp near Kapindasum Primary School on Tuesday night.

Okwanyo claimed that the criminals intended to injure the officers and ransack the camp, but that their mission did not succeed.

“There was an attempt to raid the GSU camp but officers managed to repulse the armed bandits,” he said.

The criminals had earlier raided Chebinying village in Arabal and driven away at least 100 goats. They shot and injured four people.

On Monday evening, Okwanyo said the raiders stole 110 cows before escaping towards Makutani and Tangulbei locations.

The commissioner has directed chiefs from the area to recover the livestock or face disciplinary action.

“Chiefs and their assistants know were the animals were driven and that is why I have directed them to recover them. We do not want chaos,” he warned.

Okwanyo said his office was waiting for a directive from the Interior Ministry to start the operation of flushing out the raiders and recovering illegal firearms.

Separately, Rift Valley Regional Coordinator Wanyama Musiambo on Tuesday chaired a security meeting at Marigat and recommended that the two sub-counties be gazetted as highly unsafe and insecure areas.

Mr Musiambo said officers would conduct an operation to recover illegal firearms and flush out bandits.

The regional chief said officers in armoured vehicles had been deployed to conduct the operation.

Tension remained high at Chebinyiny and Sosionte villages in Mukutani ward in Baringo south following the frequent raids.

Several homes remained deserted and men and youths could be spotted carrying bows and arrows to secure the area.

Bandits do not appear to be afraid of engaging security officers in armoured vehicles.

A group of people, including women and children, said to have fled from Arabal, Chibinyiny, and Nyimbei areas have camped at Chemorong’ion centre, a short distance from Chemorong’ion GSU camp.

RESTORE SECURITY

Some people were stranded at Chemorong’ion trading centre because of lack of transport.

Mr William Kandie from Chemorong’ion said villagers were no longer operating freely because of tension.

“There is nothing to smile about in this area because all our livestock have been stolen,” said Kandie, adding that other farming activities had also been affected after raiders destroyed irrigation machines at the Embosos scheme.

Nominated MCA Charles Kamuren said he supports the operation to restore security, adding that learning and other activities had been paralysed.

On Monday at around 3pm, bandits ambushed 30-year-old Josephine Kiptoon with her newborn baby girl at Latan village in Baringo North and shot her dead.

Richard Chepchomei, her neighbour, said she was doing her household chores when the raiders struck.