Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has assured parents in the North Rift Valley region areas affected by banditry of enough security ahead of the 2024 school calendar.
Speaking on Wednesday after a tour of Cheptulel Boys Secondary School and Sapulmoi Primary School in Sigor Constituency, West Pokot County, Kindiki appealed to parents to return their children to school next month. He urged them to ignore inciters and refuse to be scared by retrogressive practices like livestock theft.
“I want to assure you all parents; your children are safe and their studies will not be interrupted by bandits. All schools will be under 24-hour guarded security by our specialized officers and the National Police Reservists,” Kindiki said.
Additionally, he said that President William Ruto’s instructions were very clear on the reopening of schools which had been temporarily closed due to insecurity posed by bandits and other armed criminals.
“We will ensure that all schools whose infrastructure was vandalized by bandits are rehabilitated and ready for use by January 8, 2024 when the first term of the 2024 academic kicks off,” he added.
The CS said that progressive pacification of spaces where marauding gangs of armed bandits had terrorized Kenyans in the North Rift Valley Region for long gives way to rehabilitation of schools and other social amenities abandoned or destroyed by bandit attacks.
“The government through the Interior Ministry is rehabilitating nine schools in West Pokot; Cheptulel Boys Secondary School, Chesegon, Cheptulel, Sapulmoi, Lonyangalem, Kour, Songok and Karon Primary Schools and Kisaa ECD School,” he added.
In May 2023, the government allocated Ksh100 million for the rehabilitation of about 50 schools that were damaged by bandits. The schools were in Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana, West Pokot, Samburu and Laikipia Counties.
The government has promised to eradicate banditry in the North Rift region by the end of 2024.
