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Police officer arrested after damage to school perimeter wall


A police officer is among eight people arrested over the destruction of a public school perimeter wall along Juja Road, Nairobi.

The officer who is attached to City Hall was arrested together with seven City Hall askaris while in action.

According to the police, the group went to Racecourse Primary School and demolished the wall saying it was illegally constructed.

The wall had been erected through the Starehe Constituency Development Fund (CDF) programme.

The school administration reported the matter to the police prompting the action.

Police said that the group was armed with pangas, two spades, a jembe and a mattock.

Authorities are investigating the motive of the attack before charging the group.

Locals said the wall had been in contention over claims it encroached a private property, a claim police said they are investigating and require a court ruling.

In 2021, the Martin Luther Primary School, located in Makadara saw a workshop and classroom building demolished by hired goons.

The workshop contained a carpentry studio which was used by some of the school’s 801 students, particularly the 66 of whom have special needs.

School officials reported that the building, as well as its contents, were brought down without notice, destroying desks, computers and other equipment that was inside.

A bulldozer was accompanied by security guards who looked on.

The demolition is part of a larger phenomenon of public land insecurity in Kenya, with associations working to protect schools from encroachment and land grabbing.

In January, Dagoretti North Member of Parliament Beatrice Elachi called on the National Government to issue land titles belonging to public schools in Nairobi, a move she stated will prevent land grabbing.

Elachi raised concerns over a piece of land belonging to Lavington Secondary School which she alleged has been grabbed.

An unknown developer has already erected a construction there.

“So, the best thing is government to give schools of Nairobi their tittle deeds so that they can be able to know where their boundaries are and how they plan for the school. This is the only girl’s school that I have now that can accommodate children from Kawangware because most of the schools I have in my constituency are National Schools,” Elachi said.

“I would really plead with the government; we work together and see how we can safeguard schools land from land grabbers.”

The legislator vowed to deal with land grabbers in her constituency saying it is leaving schools and students disadvantaged and without even enough playground.