LAIKIPIA, Kenya Jul 12 – The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has launched a major school infrastructure programme in insecurity-prone parts of Laikipia County, including the construction of classrooms and rehabilitation of existing facilities in a bid to promote education and support long-term peace initiatives.
The project targets ten primary schools located in areas affected by recurring banditry attacks and cattle rustling, particularly communities bordering the expansive Mukogodo Forest in Laikipia North Constituency.
Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru said the classrooms are expected to be completed and ready for use within the next two months, noting that the initiative was undertaken following a directive by President William Ruto.
According to Mariru, expanding facilities in schools that offer boarding services is intended to increase enrolment, improve learner retention and reduce school dropout rates that often leave young people vulnerable to criminal activities.
Several communities neighbouring Mukogodo Forest have for years faced persistent insecurity, including livestock theft, armed raids and destruction of property by bandits operating from hideouts within the forest.
The violence has claimed lives, including those of local administrators and members of the National Police Reserve, while repeated attacks have forced some residents to flee their homes and disrupted learning in affected schools.
In recent months, the government deployed a multi-agency security operation in the forest to flush out criminal gangs accused of carrying out raids on villages, businesses and livestock owners.
Laikipia North Member of Parliament Sarah Korere said she sought intervention from the President after recognising that the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) alone could not adequately meet the infrastructure needs of schools in the vast constituency.
Korere added that efforts to improve education infrastructure are being complemented by interventions to tackle chronic water shortages in the region through the drilling of boreholes in schools and surrounding communities.
The initiative forms part of broader government efforts to combine security operations with development projects aimed at addressing the root causes of insecurity and restoring normalcy in pastoral areas affected by banditry.
