More than 300 learners in a public primary school in Marakwet East, Elgeyo Marakwet County, failed to report to schoolon Monday, May 10 after their institution was set ablaze in an incident that was blamed on a land ownership dispute between two warring clans.
Kapkeny primary school which is situated along the Kerio escarpment has been at the center of ownership dispute for two decades between Kabasiran and Kapkeny clans that has resulted in loss of lives and property running into millions of shillings.
The attackers suspected to be from the warring Kabasiran clan made away with thirty tablets used for digital literacy class that had been stored in the headmaster’s office.
The gadgets were delivered to the institution which was among the beneficiaries of the digital learning programme by the ministry of
education.
Elgeyo Marakwet County Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Executive Secretary John Cheberi condemned the incident and asked the police to move with speed and restore peace in the area to enable learners to report to school.
He said the attack has displaced more than 200 parents and learners in the area who have fled to safer areas for fear of retaliatory attacks from the warring clan whom he claimed were heavily armed.
“The area where the school was burned down is deserted as the rival clan has vowed to ensure that no learning takes place claiming that the land on which the school was built belongs to them,” said Cheberi.
Speaking to Mwanahabari.co.ke in Iten town, Cheberi asked the government to resolve the land dispute to avoid disrupting the learning program.
Last year the aggrieved clan stormed the area and set ablaze 100 houses in a daring day time attack in which five people lost their lives and several animals were stolen.
County Commissioner Ahmed Omar who confirmed the incident said that police were hot on the heels of the perpetrators of the arson incident in which school pupils have been forced to stay home due to lack of a place to learn.
He assured that plans were being made to secure an alternative school where the displaced learners will be relocated pending construction of the burned institution that used to host more than 300 pupils.
“We are making arrangements to transfer the learners to a neighboring institution as part of temporary measures to ensure they continue with their education devoid of disruption,” assured Omar
He termed the criminal act the setting on fire of the government school, vowing that those behind the incident will be arrested and charged in court as he accused them of failing to follow the right channel in pursuing their grievances related to the piece of land in dispute.
“Police are already on the ground probing the school burning incident and theft of the tablets with a view to bring to book the perpetrators,” said Omar.