Kenyans applaud Jairus Mulumia, policeman teaching pupils at war-torn Kenya-Ethiopia border

Jairus Mulumia, a police officer who was spotted teaching at Forole Primary School, is the talk of the town.

A photo of the officer dressed in what looks like military gear shows him writing on a chalk board in a class of about nine pupils.

The photograph was first posted on Facebook by Education Development Trust Africa.

“(Jairus) was part of a security team deployed following a series of banditry attacks in the area, which left several people dead. When our team visited the school last week, some teachers had not reported due to insecurity obtaining in the area. The pupils were idle in class. After getting permission from the headteacher, Mulumia, a trained teacher, got into class 5 and started teaching mathematics. Apparently, only girls in that class had the courage to come to school that day,” the Facebook post reads.

Also Read: Eight killed, nine injured in two Forole, Sabareh

Forole Town is located at the war-torn Kenya-Ethiopia border. It is approximately 724kilometres from Nairobi.

According to Google Maps, it should take about 12 hours to reach Forolle; however, the road network is almost non-existent from Marsabit to Forole meaning the journey could take longer.

The last time Forole was mentioned in the media was on August 25 after eight people were killed and at least 9 others injured by unknown gunmen.

Before that, on May 8, the town made headlines after another attack that left 11 people dead.

Jairus Mulumia seems to be among the few positive stories emerging from a war-torn region where citizens are seemingly forgotten.

The Daily Nation spoke to Jairus who said he was not authorised to speak to the media but revealed that he had decided to help the pupils after teachers posted to the area failed to turn up due to insecurity.

Apparently Jairus had no idea that his picture had gone viral.

Kenyans applauded him with some saying he is the real definition of ‘Utumishi kwa Kwote’.

“While officers like Jairus Mulumia are actually giving service to the community “utumishi kwa wote” others think holding a firearm puts them on a pedestal,” Alaman James said on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/Shikohkihika/status/1171426676267339780?s=20

The unsung Heroes of our time.
Jairus Mulumia,one of the soldiers deployed at Forole Centre of Marsabit County in class after school failed to open due to insecurity. Service to humanity
@NPSOfficial_KE @citizentvkenya @KoinangeJeff @MwalimChurchill pic.twitter.com/6kNL1l80jS

— Sharamo Kaps (@sharamo_wario) September 10, 2019

@FredMatiangi and @IG_NPS i hereby appeal to the national security leadership to promote this young man and inspire the brilliant young police officer's doing such acts of nation building and contributing to the societies where they work. Jairus Mulumia deserved a promotion. https://t.co/0KjSJWyede

— Abdulaziz Haji (@abdulazizhaji09) September 9, 2019

https://twitter.com/AmbMAO/status/1171148966148431874?s=20