• Early marriages and other retrogressive practices frustrating education among the pastoral communities.
Image: JOSEPH KANGOGO
Seven out of 10 children in Tiaty subcounty in Baringo county do not go to school.
The alarmingly low rates are due to insecurity, FGM and teen marriages.
Subcounty administrator William Chelal revealed the figure during belated celebration of the Day of the African Child in Chemolingot town on Wednesday.
"Literacy levels here stand at a low of 30 per cent, meaning the entire 70 per cent of the children population are yet to know the value of going to school," Chelal said.
Tiaty constituency of MP William Kamket is notorious for female genital mutilation, early marriages, bandits attacks and cattle rustling.
"If there are children who are suffering due to backward cultures currently in Kenya, they are these ones here in Tiaty," Chelal said.
He appealed to the government to conduct massive awareness campaigns and solve problems affecting children's education in the subcounty.
"There are no major issues affecting children's education in the other subcounties like Mogotio, Baringo North, Eldama Ravine, Baringo Central and Baringo South," the admistrator said.
Early marriages and other retrogressive practices frustrating education among the pastoral communities were the focus of attention during the event.
"It is very unfortunate that these backward cultures continue to hold us back in the dark days and deny our children the right to education" county children coordinator Omuse Otichom said.
"Not a day passes without cases of FGM or forced marriage reported to my office in Kabarnet. We don't know how long these practices are going to last," he said.
Carrying banners and chanting haki yetu (our rights!), school children marched around Chemolingot town calling upon the government to take action on problems facing education.
Children from various schools recited poems and danced to songs highlighting the problems.
The subcounty is inhabited by the warring Tugen, Pokot and Ilchamus pastoral communities.
Tiaty assistant commissioner Jack Awuor said security officers will arrest anybody found violating the law.