Learning stalls in Angata Barrikoi over insecurity as schools remain closed

Several schools in Angata Barrikoi, Narok County, remain deserted amid security fears, despite the nationwide reopening of learning institutions for the first term.

This is despite assurances by security agencies that no internally displaced persons are currently sheltering in school compounds.

A spot check by Citizen TV revealed a dire humanitarian crisis in the insecurity-prone area, which remains under curfew, with Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) officials in Narok directing teachers to remain at home until their security is guaranteed.

On Tuesday morning, Citizen TV set out to visit schools that had previously been turned into temporary shelters for displaced families.

After a journey of about one and a half hours, we arrived at Siteti Primary School.

We were ushered into a scene of sheer despair. For the second day running, not a single teacher or learner has been seen in the school.

Classrooms that should be filled with pupils and hosting lessons have been transformed into makeshift homes for families fleeing violence.

Scattered across classroom floors are remains of leftover food, dirty utensils and torn blankets, a painful reminder that survival, not education, is now the priority here.

Janet Rono, a mother of six, is one of the women living inside a classroom. Some of her children are ill, while others have gone without food for days.

“Tulichomelewa nyumba sahii tunaishi madarasani, ata watoto tukonao hatujui tunaenda wapi, tutaishi shule mpaka lini, watoto wataenda shule lini,” said Janet Rono, a displaced resident from Lolama.

Most of the children here are suffering from cold-related illnesses after spending nights on bare floors in the biting cold.

There is little hope that learning will resume in this school any time soon.

Ordinarily, this is supposed to be a Grade Five classroom, but with the current humanitarian crisis across Angata Barrikoi, it has literally been turned into a refugee camp.

Families living here say they will not go back to the homes they came from because of security concerns.

“Tunaomba President Ruto, tulikupigia kura na umetuacha tukitesaka kwa nini,” said Regina Kemei, a victim of the clashes in Angata.

Beyond this school, dozens of other displaced families have also sought refuge inside the P.A.G Church in Siteti.

About five kilometres towards Lolgorien, another school stands completely deserted.

The last time learners were seen in the institution was in November 2025.

At Sankale Primary School, only a handful of learners have reported for the new term, while Olaiton Primary School is yet to receive a single pupil since reopening.

“Tumefinyana sana hadi kwa vichaka hakuna nafasi, tunataka serikali isikie malalamiko yetu,” said Benjamin Too, a resident of Siteti.

As the crisis deepens, KUPPET officials in Narok County have directed all teachers in Angata Barrikoi to stay away from their schools until their safety is guaranteed.

“Walimu wetu wote hakuna yeyote ambaye tutaruhusu arejee kule Angata, ripoti tuko nayo ni baadhi ya shule zimebaki mahame,” said Samson Soit, the KUPPET Narok chairperson.

For now, a security operation is ongoing in the area, alongside a dusk-to-dawn curfew from 6pm to 6am.