The government is adopting a new strategy aimed at safeguarding the lives of teachers working in terror-prone counties of North Eastern and Upper Coastal regions.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki told MPs on Wednesday the strategy includes pooling teachers together and accommodating them in secure spaces in those regions.
"The government has taken a series of measures to protect teachers stationed in Arid and Semi-Arid areas (ASAL) and other parts of the country that are prone to security threats," the CS assured the lawmakers.
The CS was appearing before the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Education chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly.
He regretted that over the past ten years, 37 teachers died at the hands of terrorists while others were injured in terror attacks.
Kindiki said going forward, the government is determined to ensure the security of teachers working in terror-prone areas is a priority matter.
He said dominance patrols in the Northern Eastern and Upper Coastal regions will be enhanced to detect and neutralise terror attacks targeting civilians, including teachers.
He said besides pooling teachers in secure places, other short-term measures include heightening security in schools located in unsafe regions.
He said government apparatus will also collaborate with local communities to share information on any security threats or suspicious persons sighted within the vicinity of their workplaces and residences.
"In the long-term, the government, through the elaborate deployment of specialised security units, will eliminate the threat of terrorism and restore normalcy, peace, and stability in the affected regions and open them up for investment and development," he said.
His remarks come just a day after two people died following suspected terror attacks along the Lamu-Witu Garsen Highway Tuesday morning.
At least five vehicles were caught up in the attack.
Kindiki said the attacks appear targeted at civilians, security officers, critical infrastructure and personnel including teachers, road construction engineers and hydrologists.
Kindiki had been summoned by the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Education to respond to four questions.
They sought an explanation for the shortage of birth registration materials (also known as B1 forms) in health facilities across the country.
Birth certificates are a critical requirement for the registration of learners during admission for the allocation of capitation funds for tuition and exams.
MPs also sought information on the establishment of civil registration centers in every sub-county in the country, outstanding warrants of arrest from Kagumo Police Post against “a certain individual" and the emergence of criminal gangs or groups affiliated with terror groups in the country.
