Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) from Bomet County have threatened to paralyse learning activities in the county over what they termed the Kenya Wildlife Service's (KWS) inaction regarding wild animal attacks in the region targeting students.
Addressing the press in Bomet County on Monday, KNUT officials, led by Mathias Lang’at of the Sotik Branch and Hesbon Lang’at, Bomet Secretary General, criticised the KWS for inadequately compensating victims of wild animal attacks, particularly students, leaving affected families in distress.
The KNUT officials were referring to a recent incident where a student was mauled by a crocodile in Chepalungu in Bomet County.
However, according to them, KWS failed to compensate the family of the affected student with the right compensation package, subjecting them to distress and anguish.
''As the leaders of the teachers' union from this region, we are here to castigate what happened recently where a student was mauled by a crocodile, and when KWS came to compensate us, they only came with Ksh 30,000,'' Lang'at maintained.
The union officials highlighted a recent event where another family was compensated more than the student's family by the same KWS despite having lost only a sheep.
This, according to them, highlighted a whole bias in the compensation scheme by the government despite the life of the student being more precious than the sheep.
The teachers threatened to down their tools in the South Rift region and fail to open schools until the grievances are addressed by KWS.
According to the teachers, they had unanimously agreed to boycott the school's reopening to demand justice for the affected family while highlighting a growing trend of human wildlife conflicts.
''Recently, a car knocked down some sheep here, and after the owners demonstrated they were compensated Ksh 100,000. As KNUT, we are deeply concerned about the happenings and the unfairness,'' the KNUT officials added.
''Today at our meeting we have given notice that we will not be opening schools or term two if the KWS will not pay the affected family.''
The 16-year-old boy succumbed after he was attacked by a crocodile in River Chepkulo and sustained severe injuries, including deep wounds to the left foot and toes, as well as significant trauma to the chest and thighs.
