OPINION: What the killing in Hulugho says about our national security and education commitments

Abdullahı Maalim is a governance and policy expert with 25+ years of experience in public administration, devolution, and institutional reform. 

The killing of Stephen Vundi Musili, a primary school teacher in Hulugho, Garissa County, is a sobering reminder of the quiet sacrifices made by public servants in Kenya's frontier regions.

Musili, who was posted to Hulugho in early 2025, was not only an educator but also a symbol of the state's promise to provide education to every child, regardless of their geographical location.

His death, alongside that of a local chief in the same attack, underscores a troubling pattern: teachers and other government officials are increasingly bearing the brunt of insecurity in border communities.

This is not an isolated tragedy. Over the years, Garissa, Lamu, Mandera, and other frontier counties have lost teachers, chiefs, police officers, and health workers to violent extremism.

The cumulative toll has been particularly heavy on educators—professionals already in short supply in these regions. Each life lost deepens staffing gaps, disrupts learning, and weakens community confidence in the state's ability to protect those who serve it.

Teachers occupy a unique and vulnerable position. In many remote communities, they are the most visible representatives of government authority and public service. They nurture young minds, anchor social stability, and help bridge long-standing inequalities between the centre and the periphery. Yet this visibility has also made them targets for extremist groups seeking to undermine state presence, disrupt normal life, and instil fear.

From an education-sector perspective, the implications are profound. In areas where teacher staffing is already strained, insecurity accelerates attrition, disrupts school calendars, and compromises learning outcomes. Learners suffer first and longest. Communities that already contend with marginalization are pushed further behind, perpetuating cycles of exclusion that extremist groups are all too ready to exploit.

Kenya cannot afford to normalise this loss.

What is required is not simply heightened reaction after each attack, but a deliberate, intelligence-led strategy that recognizes education and security as deeply interconnected. The protection of teachers must be understood as both a security imperative and a development priority.

A critical starting point lies in strengthening intelligence cooperation beyond Kenya's borders. The country's existing security relationships with the Federal Government of Somalia and the Jubaland administration offer an opportunity for deeper, more operational collaboration.

Militant networks do not respect borders; neither should intelligence responses. Timely information sharing, coordinated surveillance, and joint disruption of cross-border movements can significantly reduce the space in which such attacks are planned and executed.

Equally important is the role of local communities. Frontier counties have repeatedly demonstrated that community-based intelligence and early warning systems can be effective when trust is established and information is acted upon. Investing in structured collaboration between communities, local administrations, and security agencies can help prevent attacks before they occur—rather than responding after lives have been lost.

From an education advocacy standpoint, protecting teachers is also about safeguarding the right to education for children in marginalized regions. National institutions , county governments, and development partners must continue working together to ensure that schools remain safe spaces for learning and that educators feel supported, valued, and protected in their service.

The work of regional coordination bodies and education-focused platforms has consistently shown that sustainable security in frontier areas is inseparable from inclusive development. When education systems are allowed to function without fear, communities become more resilient, and the appeal of extremist narratives weakens.

The death of Stephen Vundi Musili should not fade into the long list of names remembered briefly and then forgotten. It should compel a renewed national resolve—one that places the safety of teachers and public servants at the centre of Kenya's security thinking and treats education not as a peripheral concern, but as a frontline defence for peace and stability.

Honouring his memory requires more than condolences. It requires action—coordinated, intelligence-driven, and rooted in the understanding that no child should lose a teacher, and no teacher should lose their life simply for choosing to serve.

The writer is a governance and policy expert with 25+ years of experience in public administration, devolution, and institutional reform. He has held senior roles including Education & Governance Sector Lead at the Frontier Counties Development Council, Wajır County Secretary, and Chief Officer in Health, Roads, Devolution, and Education.