Northern Kenya

Low turnout in Garissa schools with some IDPs yet to leave camps

A flooded Hyuga Primary School in Garissa County, as pictured on May 13, 2024. (Photo: Issa Hussein/EV)

By Issa Hussein | Monday, May 13, 2024

A spot check found some schools still flooded and some displaced persons yet to move out of their temporary shelters.

Schools in flood-affected areas of Garissa town, where families are still in camps for the displaced, recorded a poor turnout as they reopened for the second term on Monday.

County Director of Education Abdihamid Maalim Ali said, however, that they expected the numbers to increase as families settled down.

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Abdihamid said that the few IDPs at two schools—Hyuga and Kazuko primary schools—were expected to leave by Monday to allow learners to resume their studies.

He urged relocated families to prioritise the education of their children despite the hard circumstances they were undergoing.

"I understand that some families have been relocated to places far from schools, but learners can still walk there," he said. "But the flood situation will not last long. Let them endure the challenges and ensure children go back to school."

Jaribu Primary School Headteacher Hussein Dubat reads a newspaper in his office on May 13, 2024, following an interview with The Eastleigh Voice. (Photo: Issa Hussein/EV)

At Jaribu Primary School in Galbet Ward, only 170 of the 1,300 pupils reported back to school.

Headteacher Hussein Dubat said they spent some time tidying up after displaced families moved away.

"Most of the learners in this school come from Bulla Punda, Bulla Sheikh, and Kamor, where families were displaced by floods after waters from the River Tana submerged their houses. They were camping in this school and were relocated over the weekend."

He attributed the low number to the floods but urged parents to ensure their children returned to school this week.

Students are pictured at Towfiq Primary School in Garissa Township following its reopening on May 13, 2024. (Photo: Issa Hussein/EV)

At the nearby Kazuko Primary, a spot check by The Eastleigh Voice found just a few students, with some IDPs still collecting their belongings.

A teacher who did not want to be named, for lack of authority to speak to the press, said it would take some time for families to send students back.

"Most families were relocated yesterday, and some were moving out today. It will take time for these families to settle and send their children back to school."

At Hyuga Primary School, facilities including the staffroom and the headteacher's office were still cut off by floodwaters, and a watchman said learning was yet to resume.

The school hosted 570 displaced families, most of which were relocated over the weekend.

Students report Garissa Primary School following its reopening on May 13, 2024. (Photo: Abdimalik Hajir/EV)

Aden Bile, chairman of the displaced families who relocated from Jaribu Primary to a camp at the Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organisation, said it was impossible for the IDPs to send their children to school.

"The camp we relocated to is far from school. I was forced to relocate this morning to a space provided by relatives for my children to access the school starting tomorrow", he said.

Aden, who is also the chairperson of persons living with disabilities in Garissa, noted that most of the parents who were moved to the new camp were unlikely to send their children back to learning institutions as their homes were still flooded.

Good turnouts were recorded at Garissa and Towfiq primary schools, which were not affected by the floods.