Insecurity, food shortages disrupt Baringo county schools

They leave school every day under tight security to fetch water from a nearby well, which is the only available source.

It was not always like this; the school did have water storage facilities.

However, prevailing insecurity has resulted in vandalism to the school's infrastructure.

"Tulikuwa na bore hole huko kwa kijiji ambayo iliharibika, ukikuja kwa shule ile maji tunatumia sasa ni ya mto na kufika huko ni shida juu ya insecurity," Purity Rotich, Teacher, Ngaratuko Primary School says. "vitu za shule zilichomwa, viombo, jerican ya shule ilichomwa, matank zote ziliharibiwa."

The same insecurity has transformed this school, which has only 57 students, into both a learning institution and a residence for families who have no safe place to live due to the threat of banditry attacks.

During the day, the classes are for learning; with nightfall, they turn into homes. Often, the pupils are forced to forgo classes and become caregivers for their younger siblings as their parents toil on nearby farms in desperate attempts to rebuild their lives disrupted by banditry.

Aside from banditry attacks, schools struggle to provide adequate food supplies to keep students, particularly high school students, in school.

Francis Cheptile, School Principal, states, "We only have one 90kg bag of maize and eight 50kg bags of beans. Students have been forced to eat porridge for dinner because we are trying to save stock."

Francis Cheptile stated, "Wanafunzi juzi wametoka shuleni wakatembea hadi Marigat kwa sababu hawana chakula."

Schools have been forced to work together to address a food shortage exacerbated by insecurity.

"We were forced to give our food to the secondary school after the students had no food in their store for three days," said Thomas Kiburet, Headteacher of Yatya Primary School.

The school community is now urging the government to act quickly to address the banditry problem and provide adequate food to schools.

This will ensure that students do not miss out on their education as the school year progresses to midterms and, eventually, the end.