The Kenya Defence Forces has begun constructing classrooms in 10 primary schools in the banditry-prone parts of Laikipia North.
This is in a fresh effort to improve access to education while complementing ongoing security operations in the region.
Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru said the project was being implemented on the directive of President William Ruto and would be completed within two months.
He spoke during the commissioning of classroom construction at Jikaze Comprehensive Primary School.
"We have started the work and within two months, we will be back to officially open the completed classrooms. This is a directive from President William Ruto through the Ministry of Defence and the Kenya Defence Forces," Mariru said.
The project targets schools along the volatile Mukogodo Forest belt, where years of cattle rustling and bandit attacks have disrupted learning, displaced families and forced some children out of school.
Mariru said the initiative followed concerns over the impact of insecurity on education in Laikipia North, adding that President Ruto directed KDF to intervene after being briefed on the challenges facing schools in the area.
He expressed confidence that expanding boarding facilities and improving school infrastructure would boost enrolment and retention while reducing young people's vulnerability to crime.
Mariru said security agencies had first carried out operations to flush out armed criminals who had turned Mukogodo Forest into a hideout before extending support to education and water projects in affected communities.
Beyond the classrooms, he said, KDF has drilled a borehole at Jikaze Primary School and will install a solar-powered system to ensure the facility supplies water to the school and neighbouring residents.
"The borehole has already been drilled and the water tanks installed. We will now install solar panels so that this water benefits not only the school but also the surrounding community," he said.
According to Mariru, sustained multi-agency security operations have significantly weakened criminal gangs that had established bases inside Mukogodo Forest, allowing development projects to resume in areas that had long remained inaccessible because of insecurity.
Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere said the classroom project followed her appeal to the President after it became clear the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) alone could not meet the infrastructure needs of schools affected by insecurity.
She said Ruto directed that 10 schools, including Tiamamut, Jikaze, Ngenia, Bokish and Endana primary schools, among others, be supported through KDF.
Korere said the intervention would significantly improve learning conditions in schools that have struggled for years because of insecurity and inadequate infrastructure.
"I explained to the President that schools in Laikipia North had suffered because of banditry. He directed that 10 schools be supported by KDF, and today we are witnessing that promise being fulfilled through classrooms and water projects," she said.
She said discussions with the Ministry of Defence had also secured plans to establish a public water kiosk at Jikaze once the borehole project is completed, enabling neighbouring residents to access clean water.
The education initiative comes as the government intensifies security operations in the region following years of cattle rustling, armed raids and attacks that have claimed the lives of security officers, National Police Reservists and local administrators.
Meanwhile, local administrators have urged residents to resolve emerging disputes over pasture and water peacefully as the dry season approaches.
Laikipia East deputy county commissioner Patrick Muli warned pastoralists against grazing livestock on private farms without permission, saying such actions could trigger unnecessary conflict among neighbouring communities.
"We must live peacefully. Do not take your livestock onto other people's farms without permission. As the dry season approaches, let us agree on proper grazing arrangements instead of resorting to conflict," he said.
Muli also directed local leaders to establish a community committee to manage access to Matangi Dam after concerns emerged over potential disputes as demand for water rises during the dry season.
Muli said the committee should review the dam's access points to ensure livestock can access water safely without triggering conflict, adding that proper planning would help neighbouring communities coexist peacefully during periods of water scarcity.
