The sound of combat boots once echoed through the dusty plains of Turkana South in fear, but in 2025, that same police presence signalled hope instead of raids.
Agape Kainuk Comprehensive School, once vibrant with children’s laughter, shut its gates on August 22, 2023, due to insecurity. Learners were forced to walk the long, hot road to Kopitiro Primary School, their neighbouring refuge, to continue learning.
For one and a half years, parents and pupils carried the burden of distance, fear and uncertainty. But peace and education eventually found their way back.
Agnes Nakain Loreng, the Head Teacher of Agape Kainuk Comprehensive School, speaks plainly about why the school survived and reopened in January 2025: it was security.
“Without security, Agape Comprehensive would not have been here; it would have closed,” she says, her voice carrying the weight of months spent away from the classrooms she leads.
A coordinated presence of multi-agency security forces, including the National Police Service and regular patrols by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) vehicles, has restored a sense of safety in the community.
Their presence allowed families to return and learners to walk back to their desks after months of displacement.
Beyond security, the support has been practical and life-sustaining. Loreng explains that “KDF provides water to the learners and the school owing to the long distance to the town centre.”
The assistance goes further. Learners often have lunch with the NPRs to cut down time wasted walking long distances home and back during lunch hours. The arrangement means more time in class and less strain on young learners.
Before the closure, Agape Kainuk had 423 learners across Grades 1 to 9. Today, the school is steadily regaining momentum with 324 learners back in classrooms.
“Enrollment of learners is increasing, and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is currently recruiting additional teachers,” Madam Loreng says with cautious optimism.
Her hope is backed by change already underway.
Agape Kainuk now has 12 teachers, 7 in primary, 4 in junior school, and 1 in Early Childhood Development (ECD), part of a nationwide effort to address teacher shortages.
According to TSC CEO Evelyn Mitei, the government has hired 100,000 teachers in the last 2½ years.
The drive aligns with President William Ruto’s manifesto commitment to expand teacher numbers in public schools.
The government aims to exceed the hiring of 116,000 teachers by 2027, easing staffing gaps and supporting effective delivery of the Competency-Based Education (CBE).
With more teachers on the ground and security holding, schools like Agape Kainuk are not just reopening, they are rebuilding.
The story of Agape Kainuk Comprehensive School is a powerful reminder that security and education are intertwined: when peace returns, classrooms fill again, and hope follows close behind.
