Kerio Valley schools shut down over insecurity crisis

Learning has stopped in more than 20 schools in Kerio Valley after teachers were withdrawn by their unions following the killing of a Catholic priest in the area.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) announced the decision after Fr Allois Cheruiyot Bett was shot dead on Thursday while returning from celebrating mass in Kakiptul.

The leaders of both unions say the region has become too dangerous, especially for teachers who are not from the area. They believe the violence is no longer random but targeted.

“We have decided to withdraw the teachers because of serious security concerns in the region,” KNUT Marakwet branch Secretary John Cheberi said on Friday.

“Three non-local security officers have also been killed recently. It’s clear that this violence is not random."

“As KNUT and KUPPET, we condemn in the strongest terms the killing of Father Bett, who was a friend to many and a pillar in our community. It is deeply disturbing that such an innocent man of God would be targeted," KUPPET Elgeyo Marakwet County Secretary Paul Biwott added.

The killing has shocked residents and led the government to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew in parts of Kerio Valley.

The curfew, which runs from 6 pm to 6 am, is meant to help restore order and support ongoing investigations into the priest’s death.

Kerio Valley Sub-County Deputy County Commissioner Amonde confirmed the curfew and said that security operations in the region have been intensified.

“We are doing all it takes to regain normalcy,” he said.

The teachers’ unions have urged Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to act swiftly to end the violence.

“We must see tough action against these bandits who have made life unbearable for everyone in Kerio Valley,” Cheberi said.

For now, classrooms remain empty as the community mourns and demands lasting solutions to the insecurity that has gripped the region.

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