School children from Boni in LAMU county have a reason to smile after KDF airlifted their teachers to schools.
At a function officiated by Commander Operation Amani Boni (OAB) Colonel David Chesire, teachers and students from schools in the villages of Kiangwe, Milimani, Mararani, Mangai and Basuba were airlifted from the Manda Naval Base airstrip and each of them dropped to their respective schools by KDF helicopters. This was after they were transported from Mokowe to the base by the Lamu County Commissioner’s vehicles.
While addressing the teachers, Colonel Chesire reiterated that multi-agency troops will continue to provide support to personnel from all service delivery sectors, to ensure that the people of Lamu as well as people from the larger Boni enclave enjoy services just as other Kenyans across the country. He expressed his pride in the teachers for the sacrifice they made to be deployed in Boni as pioneer teachers following the reopening of schools in 2019 after a five-year closure.
The teachers and children were appreciative of the efforts by OAB, noting that had it not been for them, learning would have continued to be paralysed in some schools.
Since the reopening of schools in September 2019 by stakeholders that included Commander OAB, multi-agency troops have continued to airlift as well as transport by road, school teachers and children during the opening and closing of schools. OAB has also continued to provide security for the schools to ensure a conducive learning environment. Some of the teachers will continue to be housed by OAB troops deployed in the vicinity of the schools.
COUNTER RADICALISATION
Elsewhere, troops from the Bargoni Military Camp engaged with pastoralists and farmers at Mokowe, Lamu in a bid to seek solutions to extremism and radicalisation.
The meeting was attended by representatives from different Security Forces , NGOs, County Government, provincial administration amongst other key stakeholders.
The locals expressed their appreciation for continued KDF efforts in pacifying the area enabling them to continue with their livelihoods.
On the other hand, KDF troops deployed in Sangailu donated 80 desks to Mataarba and Sangailu primary schools in Sangailu as part the OAB ambition to restore education in the Boni Enclave.
OAB has been in the frontline in providing humanitarian assistance as well as engaging the locals within the Boni enclave, with an aim of providing crucial services to the people, as well as creating an environment of collaboration between troops and the communities.
