A local based NGO has urged the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) to rescind its decision of urging teachers in the security volatile North Eastern part of Kenya to quit the area for fear of their safety.
The Muslim for Human Rights (MUHURI) through its Rapid Response Officer, Fahad Changi pleaded with the teachers union not to vacate the North Eastern region as this would deny children in the area the right to education. “The Constitution gives the people (North Eastern residents) the right to be education as well as all the other basic human needs,” Changi said.
He however called on the government to decisively deal with the rising cases of insecurity in the area which has in recent months threatened to spiral out of control.
“It is the role and duty of the government to give all Kenyans security and ensure their safety wherever they are across the country,” Changi added.
The teachers union had earlier called upon its members to withdraw from the area in the wake of the Mandera massacre where 28 people were brutally killed by the Al Shabaab militia. Most of those killed were teachers.
In a statement issued by the union on Saturday, KNUT urged all teachers who are not from North Eastern to vacate the security threatened towns of Mandera, Garissa and Wajir for fear of being targeted by the Al Shabaab.