A sleepy village in the armpits of West Pokot county has been an outlier since time immemorial, having nothing significant to show for itself except for being a haven for banished individuals including lepers and people with terminal illnesses.
However, three residents from Sinjo village, led by teacher Peter Loikwang’ole, have recently overcome the curse by struggling to succeed in their education, graduating from university and becoming professionals in their respective fields.
Since time immemorial, Sinjo has been an isolated place. During ancient times, there were designated caves where lepers and people with incurable illnesses were dumped and another where people subjected to capital punishment and those who proved cowardly in war were defenestrated.
Their food would be served at the entrance of a cave in the evenings. If morning arrived and the food found untouched, villagers knew that one of their relatives had died and funeral preparations would begin promptly.
The village came to light after Education News highlighted the story of Peter, the only trained teacher in the area but had been unemployed for years. Following the story, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) hired him on permanent terms marking a new dawn for Sinjo. Since then he has become a household name, igniting a fire of hope for children to dream bigger than the confines of the village.
Loikwang’ole, now viewed as a torch-bearer for the hamlet, has vowed that by hook or crook, Sinjo has to outgrow its ‘cursed’ mindset and develop itself in all aspects in order to be at par with its neighbours and the rest of the country.
So far, according to living memory, Sinjo has only produced a teacher, a public health practitioner and a nurse (soon graduating from Kabianga University) since independence.
“If we have managed to get three professionals in 50 years, it means that if a robust step is not taken, Sinjo will only have produced six professionals in 100 years,” Loikwang’ole said.
He called on the county and national governments to launch massive awareness campaigns and civic education programmes in the area to inform and educate the residents.
Loikwang’ole decried the high dropout rate of learners especially girls, noting that he had consulted with village leaders including Chief Samwel Korir, and had concurred that it was time to save the community from further disintegration.
He noted that another major menace that has bedeviled Sinjo is early marriages which bestows a heavy burden upon girls who are not yet physically, emotionally or psychologically ready to deal with childbirth and care.
He said that this, coupled with zero sex education, has led to devastating effects to mothers and newborns leading to high infant mortality, extremely low birth weight cases, severe neo-natal conditions and preterm delivery among other critical issues.
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The teacher regretted that during weddings, parents often believe that they are doing what is best for their daughters by marrying them off early, imagining that their new husbands will provide economic security and real safety to the girls.
Loikwang’ole urged local authorities to come to the rescue of Sinjo, saying that he is positive that the village has great potential, especially its children, and develop all critical sectors to ensure a future for its people.
As an individual, he pledged to rally the other two professionals and spearhead projects that will assist Sinjo to become the academic giant it has always been destined to be.
By Hillary Muhalya
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