Students sitting for KCSE and KCPE exams and teachers in terror-prone areas in Lamu have been assured of adequate security.
On Wednesday, Coast regional coordinator John Elungata said the government has deployed more National Police Reservists to all volatile areas in Lamu county to boost security.
He said elaborate plans had been effected by government to ensure the safety of all stakeholders.
“We have adequate security officers who will be manning all the examination centres. We wish the candidates all the best,” Elungata said.
At least 15 people were killed in a spate of suspected terror attacks in villages between January 2 and 9 this year that left scores displaced.
He however said the NPRs will serve to reinforce the security personnel stationed in the county and provide an important first response to incidents of insecurity.
“The NPRs will bolster security since they are conversant with the terrain. They will supplement regular police in remote and far-flung areas,” he said.
The regional boss reiterated that the reservists will largely help in intelligence gathering at the grassroots and cooperate with police in restoring peace and stability.
“They are expected to be the main visible security force in the villages since they operate within their own locality,” he said.
Citing the ongoing construction of the Lamu National School in the terror prone Basuba in Lamu East, Elungata said the government is determined to enhance learning in the region.
He said schools which had been closed down for years owing to insecurity had been reopened and new teachers posted.
Commissioner Mbage Ng’ang’a, of the Teachers Service Commission who accompanied Elungata said TSC was alive to the teacher shortage issue in the region and working on a possible to remedy.
“The commission is facing the challenges majorly from inadequate funding to recruit more. This has affected the provision of services in Lamu," Ng’ang’a said.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
