State House, Nairobi, rewarded police constable Jarius Mulumia, who traded his gun for chalk and taught Class Five pupils in Farole, at the border of Kenya and Ethiopia in September 2019.
Mulumia is reported to have taken it upon himself to teach Mathematics to the students after teachers failed to attend to them due to insecurity.
Daily Nation was first to report that on Friday, December 6, Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua feted the officer for his exemplary service.
The teacher was awarded during the annual Public Service Excellence Awards.
"Through these awards, we hope to transform our public service towards a more citizen-centric focus to ensure that the services we offer are professional, efficient and readily available to citizens," Kinyua stated.
The teachers at Forole Primary School had not reported due to a series of bandit attacks in the area, which had left several people dead.
According to a post by Education Development Trust - Africa, the officer, who is a trained teacher, sought permission from the headteacher to teach the pupils after noticing them idling in class.
More than 30 public servants were nominated for the award.
