Its swimming and canoe rides for Tana River children as schools open
Students disembark from a canoe to school at Watta Hamesa village, Tana River County on Monday May 13.
What you need to know:
- "It was ill advised to begin the term at the moment. Asking schools in Tana River and other flooded areas not to open without giving them an alternative calendar date is the most hypocritical idea ever," said James Rashid, the secretary general civil society organisations.
- The lobbyists have sworn to hold the Education Cabinet Secretary responsible for any lives of children that will be lost because of floods.
Mwanaisha Swaleh, a Form Two student has to swim across the flooded water in Mnazini village, Tana River County on her way to school in Kilifi County.
Her journey began at 5 am, swimming through the cold water, a seven kilometres risk with her belongings, her mother escorting her closely from behind with her school bag on her head.
Failure to report to school on the opening date will attract punishment, hence, she would rather take the risk and be in school.
"The water is very cold but since there are no canoes along this area, we just swim across, "says her mother Esha Salim.
At the end of the swimming, she changes into her school uniform in a nearby bush and boards a motorbike on a 40-kilometre ride to Mnazini junction hoping to catch a bus to Kilifi County.
Her mother then takes her civilian clothes and returns home with them after seeing her off.
"It is a risk we have to take, they said schools in our county will not open, but they didn't tell us about our children studying in schools outside the county, so the order was not helpful," said Ms Salim.
While Ms Swaleh swims to school, other students are risking it in canoes as they cross the crocodile-infested River Tana to school.
Hundreds have to board canoes at a cost to cross several broken road sections that are flooded, with the traffic at the docking section building every hour.
Abdallah Shehe, a Kenya Police Reservist is out to help school children for free, as most parents are unable to foot the Sh30 one-way transport fee.
"I woke up at 5 am to help my wife and child cross to school, and I saw it fit to help the rest of the children until 9 am since we are all in this problem," he said.
Abdallah Shehe, a Kenya Police Reservist (in jungle jacket) in Galole Constituency,Tana River County helps students going to school cross the 150 meter broken road at Watta Hamesa for free using a canoe on13th May 2024.
In the evening, he will be at the section to help the children cross back home, a duty he has sworn to perform until the water at the broken Watta Hamesa road subsides and provides safe passage.
The officer also ensures that canoes operating in the section do not overload to avoid accidents such as the one witnessed in Madogo two weeks ago.
"We lost 20 people in Madogo, 13 of whom have not been found, so my work here is to make sure that nobody creates careless blunders that can cost lives," he said.
This is the fate of thousands of children in the county who have to risk it all to make it to school.
Human Rights activists have blamed the government for what they have termed as an unconscious call by the Ministry of Education.
"It was ill advised to begin the term at the moment. Asking schools in Tana River and other flooded areas not to open without giving them an alternative calendar date is the most hypocritical idea ever," said James Rashid, the secretary general civil society organisations.
The lobbyists have sworn to hold the Education Cabinet Secretary responsible for any lives of children that will be lost because of floods.
Tana River County Commissioner David Koskei, however, notes that the county steering group team is working on ways to ensure that children from flooded schools are catered for as the term begins.
