A Kenyan police officer is being praised for teaching pupils whose teachers failed to turn up for work after a non-governmental organisation posted a photo of him in class on Facebook.

The Education Development Trust said Jairus Mulumia was found teaching a class at Forole Primary School, which is near Kenya's border with Ethiopia.

"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," the NGO said.

"After getting permission from the headteacher, Mulumia, a trained teacher, got into class five and started teaching mathematics."

It said that there had been a series of attacks in the area by bandits, which had left several people dead.

The officer was part of a team deployed to the school to provide security for pupils.

Many Kenyans have taken to social media commending Mr Mulumia's efforts, one person calling him an unsung hero of our time:

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

Others urged the minister of interior and the country's police chief to promote the officer:

@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