KNUT threatens to withdraw teachers from insecurity prone areas

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Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has asked the government to deploy armed security officers in all boarding schools in arid and semi arid areas following Monday's Al-Shabab attack at Kamuthe area that led to the death of 3 teachers.

KNUT secretary general Wilson Sossion called on Education CS George Magoha to visit areas where teachers are being killed. "It is a taboo for anyone to kill teachers for whatever reasons. The teaching profession must be protected and given the high regard it requires. If we are going to set a culture where the teaching profession is disrespected then we are preparing for anarchy. This cannot be accepted in present day. The region risks been more marginalized and the closures of schools will be seen as a success by the al Shabab," he said.

Sossion has threatened that the teachers' union will withdraw all teachers in the affected areas if the government does not heed to their pleas. "We are giving them an opportunity to act before we urge our teachers to move out," he added.

Sossion lamented the recent killing of a teacher in Kitui and expressed worries of a precedent being set in such attacks. "Today's killing of three teachers in Kamuthe Primary in Garrisa makes North Eastern remain unsafe and  marginalized. If the employer cannot protect you then we must rise to protection ourselves." The secretary general castigated Teachers Service Commission boss, Nancy Macharia for not propagating teachers' security issues as she is supposed to. "She is so good at sending condolences. That is not enough, we did not set a commission for condolences," he said.