The reconstruction of schools vandalized by bandits in Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana and West Pokot counties has begun, Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki has revealed.
The exercise has started in Turkana County and further preparations are being made in Baringo County, with the reconstruction of the first six schools; Kapedo Mixed Secondary School, Chesitet, Kositei, Kasokotow and Kapindusum Primary schools.
On May 23, CS Kindiki announced the allocation of Ksh100 million towards reconstruction of the vandalized schools.
Speaking in Turkana on Wednesday, he said the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) and National Youth Service (NYS) officers will be deployed to reconstruct all the schools.
“The money has already been released and our officers from KDF will help us in the reconstruction. We must make sure that this place remains out of bounds to bandits for the rest of our time,” Kindiki said.
Kenya Army Deputy Commander Major General David Tarus explained that the construction materials such as building blocks, sand and ballast have been sourced and delivered to the sites.
“Materials were delivered last week to the first six sites and we have a timeline, which is by the end of July 23, 2023. We believe that everything will be done by then, to ensure timely delivery of the project,” he added.
Most of the schools in the region were either vandalized, destroyed or converted into homes by the marauding cattle rustlers as they raided homes and maimed residents.
This led to the declaration of Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Laikipia and Samburu counties as disturbed and dangerous prompting the deployment of multi-agency security personnel to smoke out the bandits wreaking havoc in the region.
The Ministry of Defense has further asked for an additional Ksh100 million to complete the project.
The reconstruction follows the ongoing ‘Maliza Uhalifu North Rift’ security operation across the bandit-prone counties.
By Thuita Jaswant
Get more stories from our website: Education News
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
