• The region has no police camps, only two NPRs patrol it.
• Nine non-local teachers transferred from two schools.
Image: COLLINS LANGAT
The Teachers Service Commission has transferred non-local teachers from schools along the border with Somalia.
This follows al Shabaab militants' Sunday morning attack on a remote village neighbouring Somalia.
The militants raided a store at Hareer Hoosle in Mandera East and took away goods of undetermined value. They injured a National Police reservist and killed three head of cattle, a donkey and two goats.
The attack happened barely a month after the abduction of two Cuban doctors in the central business district on April 12.
Mandera TSC director Yusuf Abdullahi said the nine non-local teachers were transferred for security reasons.
Abdullahi told the press in Mandera town on Thursday that the teachers were transferred from Sarohindi and Libahiya primary schools.
The area has two National Police reservists and no police camp patrolling the vast region.
"We cannot compromise the security of our teachers, but this is a temporally measure and once we are convinced there is enough security we will repost the tutors to their original schools," Abdullahi said.
Some 28 teachers travelling for the December holiday were killed on November 22, 2014, in Arabia, Mandera East, by the militants. This prompted an exodus of their colleagues from schools in other Northeastern counties.
Mandera Knut executive Kullow Sheikh welcomed the teachers' transfer but urged the government to enhance security especially along the border.
“We have lost hundreds of our teachers at the hands of the militants. It doesn’t make sense to keep a teacher in a school on the border only to be attacked and killed by the militants. Life is precious,” the unionist said.
Last week, Northeastern regional commissioner Mohamed Birik said a lot of progress has been made in trying to rescue them (Cuban doctors).
“I don’t want to divulge more details on the progress we have made for security reasons but I want to assure everyone that we have made tremendous progress in that regard,” he said.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)