By Paul Gitau
TANA DELTA, KENYA: At least 30 primary schools in Tana Delta District have been closed indefinitely owing to an upsurge of tribal violence between Orma and Pokomo communities.
The schools were closed on Monday for fear of retaliatory attacks. This comes less than a week after the county’s Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Executive Secretary Abe Vere advised teachers to leave “for their own security” as violence raged afresh in Nduru and Kibusu villages.
In the last attack on Kibusu, raiders who killed primary and kindergarten pupils were said to have staged the raid from the local primary school, raising fears over security at learning institutions.
Tana River County Director of Education Mohammed Shee Sagara has confirmed that the schools have been closed.
Mr Sagara said the worst hit are schools in Central and Tarassa divisions of Garsen constituency. However, he said he had directed the area education officials to convene an urgent meeting with the district security team.
“We want the security team to provide armed security in all schools in the district so that we can convince teachers to return to school,” he noted.
