Grade 6 student misses KPSEA exam after being shot dead during Narok-Kuria clashes

• A family in Migori Province demands justice after their young relatives were shot dead during tribal clashes on the border of Migori and Narok Province
• The 12-year-old’s father was invited to a police station in the Giitembe region hours after the tragedy to collect his son’s body.
• Locals accused security agents of taking sides against part of the population of Migori province

Migori Province – A 12-year-old Grade 6 student who sat for this year’s KPSEA exam was shot dead in Giitembe, Kuria East, Migori district.

How Kuria’s father learned of his son’s death in 6th grade

The murder took place at the height of the Border conflicts between Narok and Kuria which have existed for decades and have claimed twelve lives in the past three months.

“It is so heartbreaking to see my innocent son murdered in such a manner; it pains me as a father. My son’s only crime was that he was a Kuria,” said Wambura Marwa, the father of the deceased boy.

As he fought back tears, Wambura said TUKO.co.ke that he learned of his son’s death six hours after the incident.

“The police called us to the station and said they were called by the attackers to come and collect my son’s body, but they made no arrest. We wonder why… I was given six hours after the death of my son information that I did not believe. What I saw was that his body was there in pieces,” Marwa said.

Marwa said his son left for the border for herding at 11 a.m. on Sunday, where he died untimely.

The family now wants justice amid rising tension between two communities.

Meanwhile, local residents accuse the police officers recently stationed at the border of being biased and always remaining in the background during raids.

“It is not the first time we have been killed. These attackers always raid our farms, take our products, go to our homes, steal our animals and kill our people,” claimed Magabe Johannes Chacha, a local resident.

Why Kuria residents are not satisfied with local administrators

They also accused the local government of inaction and ignoring their pleas.

Kuria East MP Kitayama Maisori expressed his dissatisfaction over the police officers accused of sleeping rough jobs.

“The incident is painful and we want a lasting solution to this border dispute,” he said.

He called on locals to remain calm and not go on a revenge mission, saying they should let the law take its course despite the pain and anger.

“We have met with both regional security officials and once Parliament returns to work, we will be on the ground with the National Security Commission to ensure that a lasting solution is provided to our people,” he affirmed.

Migori Deputy Governor Joseph Mahiri has since called on the national government to take the issue seriously security falls under the national government.

“We have tried with the Governor of Migori Province, but our neighboring Governor of Narok Province and the MP of the area are reluctant on this issue,” Mahiri claimed.

Students take a mock KPSEA exam

In other news, on Wednesday, October 30, chaos broke out at the Silver Bells Academy in Moiben, Uasin Gishu Province, after it emerged that candidates were not registered for exams.

Moiben Deputy District Commissioner Duncan Okwach stated that students, who were unaware of the situation, were given fake KPSEA exams.

The school’s principal, Margaret Ingaasi, earlier claimed that the school’s KPSEA papers were sent to the wrong center.

Additional reporting by TUKO.co.ke correspondent Sarah Zadock.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and editor at TUKO.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke