Kenya warns schools becoming Shabaab targets

Kenya has warned the militant group Al-Shabaab could be changing tact to target schools following the killing of three teachers in a primary school in the country’s north east Thursday.

The country’s education Cabinet Secretary said the attack on the school signaled the militants could now be bent on inflicting harm to schools which she termed as ‘soft targets’ for the group.

“The Ministry of Education is alive to this reality and has formulated appropriate measures and guidelines in order to ensure the safety of our learners, teachers from terrorism and other threats,” said Mohamed.

Al-Shabaab militants ambushed Kharsa Primary School at night, some 70 kilometres from Wajr town killing three teachers and injuring scores of others.

The attack on the teachers follows several other attacks by the militants in Mandera town in the recent past which have claimed several lives. Teachers from other parts of the country were forced to leave Mandera in 2015 following a wave on Al-Shabaab killings of non-locals.

The group inflicted the heaviest casualties April 2015 on Garissa University killing 147 students.