A rapidly widening gulley along the fence of Nasokol Girls Secondary School in West Pokot County is putting students, staff and road users at risk, after heavy rainfall carved out a deep trench that has already exposed an underground Wi-Fi cable running along the school’s perimeter.
The gulley sits just off the road connecting Makutano town to Kacheliba, within West Pokot County, and has been eating into the earth at an alarming rate. Only a shortage of rainfall this year appears to have spared the school fence from further damage, with residents warning that renewed heavy rains could see the erosion advance right up to the boundary.
Compounding the danger, a narrow footpath has formed along the top edge of the gulley and is still being used by pedestrians, raising fears that someone could fall into the deepening trench.
Residents and school well-wishers are now calling for urgent intervention before the next rainy season, proposing the construction of gabions, tree planting and other soil-cover measures to stabilise the site. They also want action to control the fast-flowing runoff along the school fence, which they say is the main driver of the ongoing soil loss.
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Because the gulley lies within the road reserve, road construction companies operating in the area have been urged to step in and assist with remedial works alongside the county government and other stakeholders.
Nasokol Girls Secondary School is regarded as one of the leading institutions in West Pokot County, and residents say it deserves swift support to avert damage to its infrastructure, including the exposed underground Wi-Fi cable and the threatened perimeter fence.
By Martin Ruto
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