Learning in four public primary schools in Oldonyiro Ward, Isiolo County, has been interrupted indefinitely, following a move by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) to withdraw services by its members over rising insecurity.

Addressing journalists in Isiolo town on Friday, July 24, 2026, following an urgent meeting of the union officials, the KNUT Executive Secretary, Isiolo Branch, Hassan Diba, and the Union Chairperson, Timothy Kimathi, said that the union has withdrawn the services of 59 teachers from Lengwenyi, Kipsing, Lengurma and Nooloroi Primary Schools in the lower parts of Oldonyiro, which have been notorious for teacher attacks.

This decision was necessitated after Mr Robert Kinyua, a teacher at Lengwenyi Primary School, was attacked by bandits while riding his motorbike from the school to his home in Kipsing on Tuesday evening. The motorbike and his mobile phone were robbed by the attackers, while the teacher, who narrowly escaped death, is admitted to hospital after undergoing surgery following the attack. 

“Our member suffered grievous bodily harm and is currently admitted to a hospital after undergoing an operation,” said Kimathi.

Consistent attacks from bandits

The attack happened just three months after another teacher, William Gatobu, who served as the Deputy Principal at Leparua Mixed Day Secondary School, only a few kilometres from Lengwenyi, was shot and then stabbed eight times to death while he was also riding his bike back home from school.

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers’ Isiolo Branch Executive Secretary Moses Kimwere, who also joined the KNUT officials in the press briefing, said that the nature of the attacks was worrying, as it targets non-local teachers.

He said that the unions have also asked the Teachers Service Commission to consider deploying only local teachers in schools within Oldonyiro Ward to teach learners from their community so that the trend of targeting non-local teachers is put to an end.

50 of the teachers who have been instructed to stay away from the schools are non-locals, while only nine are locals.

Diba said that the teachers will stay away from the four schools until the conditions issued by the union are met. These conditions include identification, arrest and prosecution of those who attacked Mr Kinyua; recovery of all the valuables stolen from him; and guaranteed safety for all teachers.

The officials said that the security of teachers cannot be compromised, insisting that no learning will take place in the affected zone even when schools reopen for the third term if the conditions they have issued to the county security team are not met before then.

They, however, urged teachers to remain calm, as the matter is getting the required attention by both the county security team led by the county commissioner and the Teachers’ Service Commission.