Trapped in banditry: Baringo students have no home to go to, plead to remain in boarding schools

Trapped in banditry, students from boarding schools in Baringo North do not look forward to going home, as they have no homes to return to. 

With entire villages deserted and parents unaccounted for, the students face a terrifying uncertainty.

Some of their parents might be among those that migrated to save zones following recent bandit attacks. For others, there is uncertainty on whether they will get home safe or will be caught in a crossfire by bandits on their way from school. 

The students have since appealed to school administrations to allow them spend the Easter holidays in school. 

Samuel Maiyo, the principal of Kipcherere School, reports that over 200 students have expressed fear and a desperate plea to remain at school. 

They have lost contact with their families who fled violence in areas like Yatya, Kagir, Chemoi, and Ngaratuko. 

The attacks have displaced an estimated 2700 families and claimed 16 lives since the year began.

The situation follows the burning of Ngaratuko Primary School by bandits on Friday. 

Five classrooms, a library, and the school administration office were reduced to ashes. Student certificates were not spared as the attackers reportedly celebrated their destruction with songs.

The plight of these students exposes the devastating human cost of banditry. As the government scrambles for solutions, schools have become a desperate sanctuary for children caught in the crossfire.

Baringo North Member of Parliament Joseph Makilap and his Baringo South counterpart Charles Kamuren acknowledge the gravity of the situation. 

They have urged schools to hold onto students from the affected areas and appealed to humanitarian agencies to consolidate displaced communities for better support.

"It's no longer business as usual," said Kamuren. "There's a major crisis, and we call upon all school heads not to release students from the affected areas."

Julius Bitok, the Principal Secretary for Immigration and Citizen Services, addressed the issue during a thanksgiving ceremony at Kipcherere High School on Saturday.

He condemned the violence and pledged the government's commitment to flushing out criminals from the region.

Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno called for stronger measures to tame banditry, asking President William Ruto to issue an executive orders to tackle banditry, which he considers a national disgrace.