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Go back to school, Kaimenyi tells Garissa TTC students


Education Cabinet Secretary has asked students of Garissa Teachers’ College to go back to school saying they have improved on security.

Speaking at the sidelines of launch the Nomadic National Council for Nomadic Education at Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development in Nairobi on Saturday, Prof Jacob Kaimenyi said that money has been set aside to build a wall around the institution and that more security personnel has been deployed there.

“I only instructed Garissa University College to close indefinitely and students to be absorbed in Moi University, but for the teachers training college, I have sent the principal money to build a wall around the school. We have also deployed more security officers, they should go back,” Kaimenyi told journalists.

But speaking to the Daily Nation, the chairperson of Garissa Teachers Training College students’ Council Mr Kimani Braizon said the students have vowed not to go back.

The 600 students have refused to go back to the institution following the killing of 148 students of Garissa University College by Al-Shabaab.

Mr Kimani said their college is located about 200 metres from the university which was attacked.

“ The communication we have is that the government has said it cannot close such an established institution and we should therefore go back, but there is no way I am going back there. Right now I am at home thinking of the way forward,” said Mr Kimani.

MANDERA BUS ATTACK

The students’ leader said that some of his colleagues in Embu County have called him saying they were seeking intervention with their governor to go pick their stuff from the college.

“Most of the students have vowed not to report to school, the ones in Embu want their governors to help them pick what they left at the college,” he said.

On Tuesday, Principal of Garissa Teachers’ Training College Dr Muktar Aden published a paid up advert in the local dailies asking the students to report back to college.

“This is to inform you that the college opened on 5th May, 2015. All college programmes are ongoing. Any student who has not reported should do so with immediate effect,” reads the advert signed by Dr. Aden Muktar Principal TTC.

The students’ refusal to go back to the institution comes at a time when teachers attached to the public primary and secondary schools in North Eastern region have also vowed not to report back to work.

The teachers have refused to return citing insecurity after 28 people were killed – most of them their colleagues – when Al Shabaab militants attacked a Nairobi-bound bus in Mandera late last year.

On the hand, Garissa Kenya Medical Training College has been closed indefinitely over security concerns.

Principal Mr Omar Osman said they reached at the decision after area County commissioner said the government has no security personnel to be deployed to the institution.