The government’s Digital Literacy Programme (DLP) faces uncertainty over rampant theft of school devices by in Kisumu County.
In a span of less than three months, robbers have raided computer rooms in four schools and made away with several learning devices.
Routers also stolen
So far, 30 learners’ digital devices, three teachers’ digital devices, two external hard drives, Router/Wi-Fi and two projectors have been stolen but no arrests have been made.
The latest incident happened last weekend at Simbi Luora Primary school in Muhoroni sub-county where seven learner’s devices, a router, Wi-Fi and a teacher digital device were stolen.
The County Police Commander Titus Yoma said unknown people dug a hole in a room where the equipment were kept and made away with the devices.
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“The school’s watchman says he never heard the thugs dig the hole but he has since recorded statement with police and is assisting with investigations,” he said.
The Jubilee government launched the digital literacy programme during the 2015-2016 financial year where a whooping Ksh17.58 billion was invested. In this year’s budget, another Ksh19.3 billion has been budgeted to ensure all the 1.2 million standard one primary school pupils across the country benefit from the programme.
He said those who stole the gadgets seemed to have had prior knowledge of where the devices were kept.
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At Milungo primary school in Seme Sub-county, a similar number of learning devices, two teacher’s digital devices and a projector were stolen after thugs raided the school, tied the night watchman, and locked him in a toilet before breaking into the computer room.
Other schools that have suffered similar fate were Akwanya and Ayaro primary schools in Nyando and Kisumu East Sub counties respectively, where 16 learners device, teacher’s device and a projector were stolen.
The County Director of Education Sabina Aroni expressed her disappointment over the matter, adding that the incidents had been reported to the police who are carrying out investigations.
“This is a sad state of affairs considering that the government has invested a lot of money in this project,” said the disappointed education official.
Sub-County education officials and head teachers in the affected schools have already reported the robbery to police and they are carrying out investigations,” she said.
Yoma said police were yet to make any arrests or recoveries of the stolen items.
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