No learning in strife-torn Kerio Valley after clergyman’s death
By Wycliffe Kipsang, May 29, 2025Learning has been paralysed in the banditry-prone Kerio Valley following the killing of a Catholic priest, Alois Bett Cheruiyot.
The late Cheruiyot will be laid to rest on June 3, 2025, at the Holy Family Parish, Ol’lessos, Nandi Pastoral region, according to Eldoret Auxiliary Bishop John K. Arap Lelei.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers and Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have vowed that 73 schools – 54 primary and 19 secondary – will remain closed until security is beefed up in the region.
The union officials, led by Elgeyo Marakwet Knut Executive Secretary John Cheberi, claimed that criminal gangs were now targeting non-locals working in the region.
“We call on our colleagues who are non-locals to withdraw their services immediately and vacate the region for their own safety,” Cheberi said.
They cited incidents in which three non-local police officers were killed, before the shooting of the Catholic priest.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) on Wednesday, May 29, 2025, said it is monitoring the police operation, ensuring it is conducted in full compliance with human rights standards as provided by law.
In a statement, IPOA reiterated the authority’s mandate to oversee police actions and ensure accountability in enforcement activities.
The authority condemned the brutal killing of Fr Cheruiyot and expressed its support for ongoing efforts aimed at bringing the perpetrators to book.
At the same time, the Catholic Church has condemned the killing of the priest and called for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
Bishop Lelei, the church claimed that those who killed Fr Cheruiyot are known people, and the government should go for them as soon as possible.
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