School seeks Sh50m for classes, latrines

A pupil of Khayega DEB Primary School awaits to use the crumbling latrines. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

A primary school in Shinyalu constituency is seeking Sh50 million to put up classrooms and toilets to save pupils from learning under harsh weather conditions.

Khayega DEB Primary School, situated at Khayega market on the Kakamega-Kisumu road, sits on a quarter-acre parcel of land and educates more than 1,200 pupils.

Despite being the most populous school in the sub-county, the school only has 10 toilets, which are shared by girls and boys.

The primary school has been posting good results in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations. Last year, it sent pupils to Form One in national schools such as Kakamega High, Musingu, Kamusinga, Chavakali and Maseno.

The institution also houses more than 100 pupils with special needs. The National Fund for the Disabled built three classrooms and an office for them at a cost of Sh2.4 million.

Head teacher Eric Adrian said according to Ministry of Education regulations, one toilet is meant to serve only 20 pupils and they are, therefore, in need of 15 new toilets but don’t have the money to put them up.

Mr Adrian added that six leaking and dilapidated classrooms had been condemned by the Department of Public Health.

Last year, in the run-up to the August 8 General Election, Deputy President William Ruto donated Sh1 million for infrastructure development but the plan hit a brick wall after landowners asked for more money.

“The community living around the school refused to move and make way for the expansion of the school since the Sh1 million we had placed on the table was too little to convince them to move,” said Adrian.

After the intervention of former Shinyalu MP Anami Lisamula, agreements were reached with a few owners of neighbouring plots who wanted Sh3 million. But this never came to fruition as the MP was voted out in the last elections, before paying for the land.

“The money was not released and the owners of the plots sold them to other buyers. Only two have not sold and they are ready to give room for relocation if they are compensated,” said Adrian.

Mr Lisamula said he was aware of the pupils' dire situation and appealed to the national government to help the school relocate.

“If I was still in office, I would have finished that project because I had the interests of the school at heart. As leaders we will put our heads together to see how we can help the school."

The head teacher said the Sh1 million was kept in the bank for close to 10 months but when the six classrooms were condemned and declared unsafe for use, the school used the funds to build two new classrooms that are nearing completion.

He noted that the pupils were forced to use public grounds located 500 metres away for co-curricular activities.

Bull-fighting grounds

"We decided that the pupils will be playing at the Khayega bull-fighting grounds when they are preparing for school ball games."

Eric Mamba, a sports teacher, said they had 17 teachers instead of 24 teachers for a two-stream school, according to regulations.

Mr Mamba said of the 17 teachers, three were employed by the Board of Management while the rest were Teachers Service Commission employees.