Non-Local Teachers Moved to Safer Areas Following Terrorist Threats in North Eastern
The delivery of services to learners has continued to be hampered by teachers’ tribulations in Arid and Semi-Arid Land regions.
Kithure Kindiki, cabinet secretary for the interior, explained that the government must relocate all non-local teachers to safer grounds for fear of terrorist attacks.
Kindiki stated that teachers must seek safety in makeshift shelters or police stations.
The CS stated that tutors are transported to and from their respective institutions daily from this location.
“We have removed all non- local teachers from risky to safer areas until the current wave of threat is handled,” Kindiki said.
CS spoke when he appeared before the National Assembly Education Committee, convened by Julius Melly of Tinderet.
Melly requested that the government to assure the safety of teachers as schools reopened for their third term.
”Schools are closing and will reopen in a month with teachers who are stigmatized after witnessing the murder of their colleagues. Melly asked, “How can we help such teachers come to terms?”
Kindiki stated, “We have placed them all in a location where we feel their safety is assured while we continue to address the issue.”
Luanda’s MP Dick Maungu said Teachers are traumatized, according to , which has an impact on how well learners are served.
Maungu said the lives of teachers are in danger. “How can you expect a teacher to spend the night hiding and then return to class the next day to teach learners?
Jerusha Momanyi, a member of parliament in Nyamira, pondered how the security of substitute teachers will be ensured when colleagues are murdered at police stations.
Momanyi asked, “Why are non-locals targeted even in police stations, while police are spared while teachers are murdered?”
Kindiki stated that the government has deployed elite security personnel to the area to ensure the safety of the teachers.
Kindiki stated that when terrorists realized the police stations were being used to accommodate teachers, they began bombing those stations. He mentioned that improving critical infrastructure was part of their plan.
He disclosed that 37 teachers were killed while returning to their native countries during school breaks.
Additional fatalities include 29 security officers, eight road-contracting engineers, and three hydrogeologists.
“The nature of the threat in the North Eastern region necessitates the deployment of additional elite police, but we do not have enough.” Some elements of terrorism have expanded from neighboring Somalia, he added.
Haro Abdul, member of parliament for Mandera South, stated that many teachers are unable to return home for fear of their safety.
The majority of teachers do not venture home for the holidays out of fear of being attacked. There is no security personnel for teachers to report their concerns in remote areas,” said Abdul.
Anne Wanjiku, a representative from Kiambu, questioned why local leaders have remained silent while teachers continue to lose their lives.
Wanjiku inquired whether the issue had political goodwill and questioned how it occurred under the watch of local leaders, wondering if it was a false play.
Malava lawmaker Malulu Injendi questioned why teachers posted in the region are the target of attackers without the administrators’ knowledge.
Injendi inquired about the individuals responsible for causing terror in the area, stating that they are locals. The lawmaker mentioned the presence of administrators in those regions who observe such occurrences and wondered about their level of authority.
The CS cited the challenge to political influence and the threat posed by local communities for jeopardizing the security budget.
He stated that threats from the local community to non-locals continue to negatively impact their education, affecting not only teachers but also the local children themselves.
According to reports, the attackers have occasionally gained access to the area three days prior to the attacks. This indicates that they obtain information and receive shelter from the locals, motivated by their desire for financial gain.
However, the CS stated that it would be prudent for the Teachers Service Commission to ensure that teachers from other regions serve in the area as quickly as possible.
In addition, he suggested that the government provide teaching scholarships to local students in order to reduce the teacher deficit, as well as risk allowances for teachers serving in the ASAL region.
As a long-term solution, he also suggested purchasing plane tickets for teachers returning home, investing in technology to reduce physical movement, and recruiting local teachers.
Non-Local Teachers Moved to Safer Areas Following Terrorist Threats in North Eastern