By Lydia Gichuki
Learning has been disrupted at Tartar Primary School in West Pokot County after unknown people torched dormitories twice and attacked learners with an arrow in a span of three days.
In these heinous crimes, 136 pupils lost everything. The attackers targeted girls’ dormitories.
Reports indicates that an arsonist struck last Saturday and Sunday nights and torched dormitories at the mixed boarding and day school.
On Monday, someone attacked pupils in their dormitory armed with an arrow however no one was hurt.
In the first fire incident, arson was not considered but an electrical fault was suspected. However when another fire broke out in another dormitory on Sunday, eyebrows were raised and the school decided to investigate further.
Reports indicates that a match box was found in one dormitory and school managers believed the arsonist had used it to light the fire.
The community around the school helped put out both fires, although the two dormitories were gutted and nothing was salvaged.
Following the incident, pupils were temporarily moved to a nearby church, where they are being accommodated.
To help caught perpetrators, parents with children at the school have now resorted to performing Pokot rituals next week.
The suspects are still at large and the school has asked the police to beef up security as investigations continue.
Kapenguria OCS Lucas Wamocha, who visited the school on Wednesday, confirmed the incident and said police were hunting for the perpetrators.
Photo Credit; Oscar Kakai | Nation Media Group
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