It is a route fraught with danger. Schoolchildren risk their lives daily as they take a detour through the patchy terrain to reach their destinations.
Sitting beneath the world-renowned Mt Longonot, Ereri Primary School is located among dense thickets, where wild animals, including ferocious buffaloes and chuckling hyenas, roam freely.
For years, walking to school has been a test of nerves for pupils. They have to move with caution and mostly in groups, “needing each other’s back”, for safety.
At the school, monkeys hop between classroom rooftops as baboons in their hierarchical troops walk unperturbed.
Learners have formed a habit of securing windows from the inside despite the scorching sun, lest they lose their packed lunch to the cunning animals.
“The baboons normally walk into the classroom and carry away packed lunches, leaving the affected pupils suffering from hunger pangs,” said teacher Ann Marete.
Learners under the CBC programme have had their crops destroyed by marauding animals.
“We are almost giving up as there is little we can do to salvage the situation. Our proximity to their habitat is our main undoing,” Ms Marete said.
Scarecrows installed in the makeshift gardens have been uprooted by baboons, putting learners at a disadvantage. “They will eventually lose out,” Ms Marete admitted.
The learners, who are expected to compete with their peers from a more serene environment, are clearly at a disadvantage.
Ms Marete recalled an event in 2014 when a Standard Four pupil was attacked by a hyena on her way to school. She spent more than three months in hospital.
Some of the teachers who witnessed the early morning incident still shudder at the nature of the attack.
“Six years later, the victim still bears the mauling marks… a stark reminder of her close shave with death,” Ms Marete said.
Menacing buffaloes
Some of the pupils, she said, arrive at school late because they need to avoid the buffaloes retreating to their habitat after a night of foraging.
The attack highlighted the dangers that learners face.
To ensure their children are safe, some parents escort them to the school early in the morning and walk them back home in the evening.
“It is a routine that we have now become accustomed to. It is a punishing undertaking but we are bereft of options,” said Waweru Kamau.
He said the menacing buffaloes are now more common because of the drought.
Farmers are also reluctant to plant crops, fearing the crops will be eaten by the wild animals, he said.
“A majority of farmers have given up and we have resorted to buying food. We have complained several times to the relevant authorities but nothing has been done,” he said.
Highlighting the danger posed by the animals, he said a resident was recently attacked and injured by a hippo.
Mr Kamau urged the Kenya Wildlife Service to set up a perimeter fence to keep the animals at bay.
“Recently, a baboon walked into my compound and ate all the eggs in a pen. This is what villagers go through,” he added.
He said water for domestic use was also a challenge, especially for more than 100 pupils attending Ereri Primary School, calling on county and national officials to act. BY DAILY NATION
