By Kiplat Kaptuya
Seated under the trees in the scorching sun, old reformed warriors and elders have their books and pens on their laps as they concentrate in their lessons.
The old men clutch their school bags on their shoulders every day as they head to adult education centres, thanked to the initiative by West Pokot county government.
The men, who spent years in the bushes conducting raids, have now realized that it was all a waste of time. Their lessons start 2 PM to 4 PM .
Speaking during the launch of Alale adult education centre, West Pokot governor Prof John Lonyangapuo said he launched the adult education programmes because of the high illiteracy levels in the county.
The illiteracy rate in the county is 67%. West Pokot is so marginalized hence the need for affirmative action to improve illiteracy.
The governor said the adult programmes have reduced illiteracy levels in the county as his government has focused on bettering the education standards in the county so as to transform the lives of the residents.
“My office has focused on improving the literacy levels in the county. High illiteracy levels have hindered development and the government might not achieve Vision 2030 if it doesn’t put in place the necessary measures to curb the illiteracy levels,” he said.
He went on to add that all adults who have not attained education must go to school.
“We have old men and women above 80 – 90 years old in class,” said Prof Lonyangapuo.
The governor’s comments come amid findings from the Annual Uwezo Assessment report that more than 35,000 people from a population of 800,000 haven’t accessed education.
It revealed that three out of ten class three pupils cannot read or write English or Kiswahili.
The research also shows that only 10 .8 % of class eight pupils in the County can do class two work while eight out of ten class eight pupils cannot do standard two work. It further shows that 52 out of 100 children of preschool going age are not in school while 11 out of 100 children who should be enrolled in primary school are attending preschool.
Prof Lonyangapuo said that high levels of illiteracy and poverty in the area have contributed to insecurity and other retrogressive practices like Female Genital Mutilation and early forced marriages.
“To curb such menaces, over 40,000 adults in the county have been enrolled in the adult education centres. More than 350 adult education centers have been opened in every village, churches, social centers and Kraals,” the governor said.
Prof Lonyangapuo called on the national government to fully devolve adult education.
“We need the national government to give us more money for the program,” he said.
He revealed that plans are underway to build classes for the adult learners.
He added that through education, many of the challenges being experienced in the county will be solved.
“Education is the only tool that can transform the lives and minds of people. When I was elected as a governor, my manifesto was fighting illiteracy,” he said.
He said the County government has employed more than 400 teachers.
“One teacher handles 200 -100 learners. We have an average of 50 people in class,” he said.
He revealed that they target to increase the number of learners in areas like Kapenguria, Alale Sigor.
Prof Lonyangapuo said the main challenge they experience is that the learners migrate in search of water and pasture.
“We shall be forced to employ mobile teachers to follow them. They have started grasping and now they can write their names and do simple mathematics of one plus one and do businesses like Mpesa. Many people have embraced Christianity so that they can be able to read the bible,” he went on.
He went on to add that since the elders are now semi-illiterate, they will be able to vote on their own.
Prof Lonyangapuo said he wants to leave a legacy as a governor.
“I want to ensure almost all people know how to read and write despite their age,” he said.
When Education news talked to some of the learners, they couldn’t express their joy at being in school. They were having a Maths lesson under a tree a few metres from the market centre.
The centre has no black board and the students don’t have writing materials. Some of the students come with tobacco which they sniff as classes go on.
Julius Moareng, 50 years old, says that he was a spy and could engage in many dangerous raids with deadly riffles. With a group of ten strong Pokot raiders, they conducted cattle rustling and killed innocent people.
“I decided to embrace education after I witnessed one of my mates being killed,” he said.
He wants to start a new life and he has never been to school but is one of the eager students determined to join one of the adult classes at Alale adult education centre.
He says that the developed countries are ahead because they make decisions based on their priorities.
Mr. Moereng said he wants to know how to read and write so that his children and grandchildren cannot deceive him.
He asked the government to supply them with learning materials to enable them acquire the required skills.
58 years old Isaac Yamering’ole said that he decided to enroll at the centre after he saw aged people registered under a cash transfer program were being conned by their children.
“The aged sign for the cash yet their children take a larger portion and give them peanuts,” he said.
Atotel Ternamoi, who has married three wives and has seven children, says that whenever they went for a raid, one of his friends would be killed and he suspected he could be the next victim.
“I decided to change my career from being a cattle rustler to being a book rustler. We conducted many raids but we never became rich. The curse of the innocent followed us,” he said.
He adds that he doesn’t want his children to be brainwashed hence he has taken them to school for education.
“All my children are now in school. It’s indeed exciting to be able to impact a society in an era where only few Pokots have been to school.” he added.
Lotiaman Benson, 36 years old from Ombolion village, says he wishes to join a theological school after spending 5 years in the bushes conducting raids.
He narrates that after reading the bible, he realized that he had committed a crime by going against the Ten Commandments after gunning down a number of people.
“I would like to join a theological school and preach to other raiders the importance of abandoning cattle rustling and engaging in meaningful activities. We should disarm our minds from the outdated cultural practice and embrace education.” he said.
Jackson Madah, a teacher, said elders in the region have fully enrolled for the adult programmes because they want to know how to operate smart phones, read the Bible and cast votes on their own.
He said many people are thirsty for education but high poverty levels in the region have barred them from attending classes continuously.
“Others miss classes because they are busy looking for food to feed their families,” he said.
Linah Kales, a resident, challenged the Ministry of Education and the county government to look for proper ways of ensuring that nomadic pastoralist communities are not left out of the basic education.
