School stands out as a beacon of peace in bandit-prone area

Over the years, Loiborsoit Location in Kirimon Division in Laikipia North has been an arena of cattle rustling and banditry.

The location has also been known for retrogressive cultural practices like female genital mutilation (FGM) and early marriage which have enslaved the community and denied many children their right to basic education.

However, Naibor Amani Primary School stands as a beacon of hope for peace and sanity in the once lawless jungle.

The location has never had a registered primary school until 2019 when Naibor Amani Primary School was conceived through a partnership between the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) and Loisaba Conservancy.

When the Nation visited the school recently, we found headteacher Fredrick Adoule with nearly 110 pupils. But none was in school uniform.

The pupils are aged between four and 12 years and are in PPE 1, PP2 and Grade One.

Mr Adoule explains that pursuit of education could not allow the children to live in their homes, which are located many kilometres away.

The headteacher expressed optimism that the school will help in minimising cases of cattle theft and banditry between the Turkana, Samburu, Pokot, Kisii, Kikuyu and Maasai communities as they interact, courtesy of the institution.

"Were it not for this school, some of these children would have been assigned duties of herding livestock and even being put at the forefront in cattle theft and banditry. There has been a practice of oppressive cultures like FGM and early marriage but this school is going to change that situation," Mr Adoule said.

Long distances

He said some of the communities are polygamous and, thus, many children might have failed to report back to school due to the long distances involved. The nearest schools are located 10 kilometres away.

"The school's committee has not yet settled on the preferred uniform but we are learning smoothly. We need additional teachers to satisfy the growing demand for education," Mr Adoule said. His sentiments are shared by ECDE teacher Samuel Edung Elibit.

Mr Jonas Lengerded, a parent and vice-chairman of the school's board, said the school will greatly help in fostering peace and development.

"Education is the best gift parents can give to their children. This school will bring us together through parents' meetings and end the animosity that has characterised us as dwellers of this area," Mr Lengerded said.

According to Loisaba Conservancy chief executive officer Tom Sylvester, the first step of starting the school was construction of two classrooms with the support of Loisaba Community Conservation Foundation from the United States.

Mr Sylvester said the second phase, through a partnership with NG-CDF, entailed building four classrooms, fencing off the school compound, building houses for teachers, providing desks, constructing the ablution block and overall infrastructural setting of the school.

"It is our vision that conservation education will be entrenched in the pupils as well. We believe very strongly that development of this area is critically important," the CEO said.

Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere said lack of education in parts of Laikipia and the neighbouring Baringo, Samburu and Isiolo counties has been a major contributor to banditry and cattle rustling.

Wake up

"As leaders in these counties, we need to wake up and take up the challenge of making education a top priority. It is very sad that some leaders do not want to construct schools because they want to take advantage of the illiterate masses to advance their selfish agenda," Ms Korere said.

"We decided to name the school Naibor Amani because this area has, over the years, been a battlefield. We believe this institution will eradicate those vices and cement peace in this location," she adds.

The constituency has also experienced cases of human-wildlife conflict, resulting in clashes between the locals and management of various wildlife conservancies.

"The constitution demands that basic education must be compulsory, but, ironically, there are vast areas in this constituency where there are no schools. The government should cease this bureaucracy of registering schools because it denies children access to education," Ms Korere said.

The legislator aims at turning the institution into a low-cost boarding facility where pupils can continue learning safely, even as their parents migrate in search of pasture for their livestock.

"Lack of school uniforms should not curtail any child from accessing education. The pupils' turn-out tells you that even their parents have for many years been yearning for this opportunity. We request the county government to come on board and support the ECDE section through provision of food and teachers," she said.

Former National Assembly Speaker Francis Ole Kaparo said: "This is a multi-ethnic school which is meant to end persistent clashes and instil peace. We want to kill animosity between the communities by bringing them together through education".

Speaking separately to the Nation, Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi appealed for partnership between them and the neighbouring counties of Baringo, Samburu and Isiolo and the national government to inject more resources into education to end perennial conflicts.

"There is a need to offer educational opportunities to our children. If you look at areas around Tiaty constituency, you will realise that there are gaps in educational opportunities available for our young people," Mr Muriithi said.

"We have to rapidly close these gaps if we want the social-economic dynamics to change," he said.