TESO NORTH: More than 1,000 learners at Amagoro Comprehensive School in Teso North Sub-County have been locked out of digital learning after burglars raided the school’s ICT hub, stealing 27 laptop computers valued at approximately KSh400,000.

The well-coordinated heist occurred on the night of Thursday into Friday last week, stripping the institution of its entire digital literacy infrastructure.

While addressing journalists, School Principal Ronald Orodi revealed that the thieves executed a highly planned operation, utilizing a clever diversion to outsmart the school’s night watchman.

According to Orodi, the intruders first broke the lock on a small pedestrian gate linking the school to the neighboring St. Thomas Amagoro Girls’ Secondary School.

They then forced their way into the school kitchen.

“Nothing was stolen from the kitchen,” Principal Orodi explained adding that, “It was a diversionary tactic. While the watchman focused his attention on the noises coming from the kitchen area, the thieves quietly broke into the computer laboratory, bypassed its security, and made away with the laptops.”

The burglary was only discovered the following morning when the teacher in charge of the ICT laboratory reported for work and found the door pried open and the shelves empty.

The suspects reportedly packed the stolen devices into five large cartons, which had previously contained newly purchased computers, and wrapped them in two desk covers to escape undetected.

Great setback

The theft is a devastating blow to the school’s digital curriculum. The stolen laptops had been donated in January 2024 by school alumna Sheran Amai Oradu, with the support of her friends in the United States, in an effort to introduce digital skills to the rural student population.

To accommodate growing student enrollment, the school had recently acquired additional computers, all of which were lost in the raid.

Principal Orodi described the incident as a catastrophic setback, noting that ICT lessons have been suspended indefinitely as a result of the burglary.

“This has completely crippled our efforts to equip these young learners with essential digital skills,” Orodi lamented. “They are now unable to access any practical computer lessons.”

The school administration formally reported the matter to the police, prompting detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to visit the scene and launch a manhunt for the suspects.

Teso North Sub-County Police Commander Charles Chepkong’a confirmed that investigators are pursuing strong leads.

“We are investigating this as a targeted burglary,” Chepkong’a stated.

“No stone will be left unturned until the perpetrators are arrested, the stolen property is recovered, and those behind this act are prosecuted in a court of law.”

In the wake of the security breach, the school’s Board of Management (BOM) held an emergency meeting and resolved to overhaul the institution’s security protocols.

To reassure future donors and protect existing resources, the BOM has resolved to contract a licensed private security firm that is fully insured against theft.

The principal also expressed gratitude for the ongoing support of local well-wishers, including Arthur Osiya, a Principal Administrative Secretary in the Executive Office of the President and Busia gubernatorial aspirant.

Osiya recently donated solar panels to the school, a crucial intervention that Principal Orodi noted will go a long way in improving security lighting and visibility around the school compound at night.