Inside primary school where children, police share classroom

Learners at Kapindasum Primary School in the insecurity-prone region of Baringo county have seen it all. From hunger to drought and violence, a day rarely ends without the school children hearing the unnerving sounds of gunshots.

Just last month, while the learners were dispersing for their mid-term break, armed security personnel escorted them to Chemorongion centre, a distance of seven kilometres, to board buses home.

The school hosts 250 learners, with some coming from as far as Laikipia county. Security personnel walked with learners from the school to Chemorongion as other officers took cover in the bushes to ensure their safety in case bandits attacked.

The tedious journey was characterised by silence as the learners held dearly to their belongings.

Life is tough for young learners who have experienced the effects of banditry plaguing the region.

The school was vandalised and the structures left are not in a good condition. The available structures serve as classrooms during the day and a dormitory at night. Most of the pupils at the school have been displaced, and in some cases forced to seek refuge at a nearby school.

Only Grade Six, Junior Secondary School and Class Eight pupils are in school. Due to insecurity, many parents fled with their children.

"There are no desks, no beds for the learners, and food is also a problem here," says Elijah Kiptoo, the school head teacher.

Kiptoo says they are still waiting for the reconstruction of the school following President William Ruto's directive that Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) reconstruct schools that were vandalised by bandits.

However, despite being a public school in a harsh environment, learners at Kapindasum have proved that nothing can deter them from realising their dreams.

The school achieved a mean score of 325.46 in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) despite pupils sitting the examination at a nearby school.

Dickson Kemboi, a local, said the ongoing security operation and the order to have locals vacate some of the areas will have a negative impact on education, adding that some parents were fleeing with their children.

Paul Lotudo, another local, said the economy of the region has been adversely affected as business people fear visiting the area.

He revealed that Ngiinyang' market, one of the largest livestock markets in the region, had no buyers on Monday, adding that locals were stranded with their animals and had to drive them back home.

Locals are now calling on the government to end the insecurity menace in the area. Former Baringo Governor, Stanley Kiptis, said they support the ongoing security operation and the government's effort to restore sanity in the volatile region.

He said development projects should be initiated in the area, adding that implementation of the Amaya Triangle Initiative, a peace and development forum, will help in addressing the issue.

In the initiative, counties of Samburu, Baringo, Laikipia, Isiolo and Elgeyo Marakwet came together in 2017 to run several projects to address, among other issues, the negative effects of climate change.

"The insecurity in the area revolves around illegal guns. And while the government is working to disarm the communities, development projects need to be initiated," said Kiptis.

Julius Akeno, a resident of Tiaty, said there is need to differentiate between cattle rustlers and herders.

"It is easier to deal with insecurity emanating from nomadic cattle herders than dealing with cattle rustlers and bandits. The problem is we group them together because we don't understand the difference," he said.

Akeno said while herders force their way into other people's territory in search of water and pasture, bandits are criminals who organise themselves to attack other communities and destroy property.

[email protected]