Editor's Review

Preliminary reports allege that the driver of the car procured to deliver the textbooks could have been kidnapped.

A group of detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) have been left in shock after discovering 500 boxes of school textbooks dumped in a forest. 

In a statement released by the National Police Service on Saturday, January 20, the 500 boxes of textbooks released by the Ministry of Education were set to benefit several schools in Nyamira North and Nyamira South. 

The textbooks were released to address the shortage in Junior Secondary Schools. 

However, the textbooks were discovered deep inside Kaptagat Forest during the early morning operation on Saturday.

"Police in Keiyo South, Elgeyo Marakwet County led by DCI are investigating circumstances under which about 500 boxes of Government textbooks for Junior Secondary School belonging to Nyamira North and Nyamira South were abandoned along Kaptagat Kaptarakwa marum Road inside Kaptagat Forest today January 20, 2024," the police report read in part.

File image of DCI detectives. PHOTO | COURTESY

Preliminary reports allege that the driver of the car procured to deliver the textbooks could have been kidnapped and ordered to offload the books.

According to police service, the kidnappers are believed to have fled with the car leaving thousands of government textbooks deep inside the forest.

"Preliminary investigation indicates that the motor vehicle carrying the books might have been hijacked and hijackers offloaded the books and left with the motor vehicle," the law enforcement officers reported.

However, police have launched a manhunt and operation in the area to ascertain how the textbooks that were bought with taxpayers' money were dumped in the forest.

The books were expected to help Junior Secondary Schools in the region during this first term of the 2023 academic year.