School gets learning materials, Sh0.7m after KTN expose

Naomi Kosgey (left) of The Standard Group introduces her colleagues, Cynthia Matee (centre) and Collins Obudo (in black T-shirt). The Standard Group donated learning materials to Seek Primary School. [Photo: Job Weru/Standard]

By Job Weru

Laikipia, Kenya: An unusual calm welcomes visitors to a remote village perched on an open-hilly topography on the upper part of Doldol Township.

The village is engulfed between the South western side of the all natural Mukogodo Forest and acacia trees and other semi-arid vegetation that are common to the area.

Suddenly, sharp noise graces the cool atmosphere, as tens of children emanate from an old building, 100 metres away, heading towards a secluded bush.

All children are armed with all types of plates and spoons, and upon reaching the bush, they make a long queue, hence attracting the attention of the visitors.

Some women, clad in the traditional Maasai shukas and loads of colourful beads around their necks, quickly emerge from the bush to manage the pupils.

This has been the norm at Seek Primary School in Laikipia North Sub-County, where until last week, pupils had not seen a desk. The institution is less concerned with the delayed delivery of laptops because what they need is better infrastructure. Pupils here dream of a day their classrooms will have stronger walls and roofs.

The situation is so dire that a community member and youth leader, Francis Merinyi, says it is like scenes from the Stone Age.

“When others are thinking of going digital, we are thinking of an extra stone to sit another child,” says Merinyi.

For years, pupils have woken up early, walked long distances — crossing through wild game infested plains and hills — to sit on stones.

Adverse weather

Those in Standard Two are worst hit because what they call a classroom is a space between an old semi-permanent classroom and a recently put up permanent block. And the only roof to protect them from the scorching sun is a thorny canopy of a huge acacia tree.

About 20 metres from there, you find what Joseph Legei — the headmaster — calls an office. It is an open space next to a water tank. As the old adage goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and Legei is an inventor. He has placed three building blocks to form a stool-like structure from some building blocks supplied under the Laikipia North Constituency Development Fund (CDF). And this is where he sits to transact all school business.

Back to the pupils.

With this kind of infrastructure, we discover that the bush where the pupils ran to is actually the school’s kitchen.

The kitchen is your ordinary bush but with a gigantic acacia tree at the centre. It is surrounded by dry and thorny twigs, which act as the walls to keep away animals and other intruders.

It has an opening on the southern side facing the classrooms, and this is where the children —s ome as young as three years old — queue for their school feeding programme rations.

Ten metres away stands another dilapidated structure which serves as the nursery school. With a corrugated iron sheet roof, most sections of the timber walls are worn out, and an occasional cool breeze blows heaps of dust inside.

Mumonyot Assistant Chief Lemontoi Saikong, who is a former pupil at the school, says the institution was established to cater for children who were too young to reach Doldol Primary School, 14 kilometres away.

Dangerous animals

Saikong says upon reaching Standard Four, pupils are usually transferred to Doldol Primary School. Still at a tender age, the Standard Four pupils have to run the risk of being ambushed by wild animals such as elephants, which are common in the area.

“Arsonists burnt the school’s buildings in 1997 and the local community migrated to Doldol after suffered continuous attacks from cattle rustlers from the neighbouring Isiolo County,” he said. Residents went back to their homes in 2008 and later mooted the idea of reviving the institution.

Mr Legei says the school — which has a population of 110 pupils and goes up to Standard three — has four teachers, three of whom are paid by parents. Legei is the only teacher employed by the Teachers Service Commission.

“We take them as volunteers and we last paid them in October last year. Parents are poor and are unable to raise the fees required to pay them,” said Legei.

Christine Sinore, a Field Coordinator with Africa Educational Trust, however, hails the parents, saying they have sacrificed a lot to ensure their children are in school.

“They help cook for the children and do any menial work available. What they want is just financial support to ensure the school is developed to the widely accepted standards,” says Sinore.

Dangerous animals

Last Thursday, The Standard Group staffers trooped to the school, accompanied by members of Joining Hands Association, a self help group based in Githurai, Nairobi.

The group donated 40 desks, following a documentary featured on KTN. The Standard Group donated books and other learning materials to the pupils.

Michael Koki, an official with the area’s CDF committee, said the kitty will donate Sh700,000 to the school. He said Sh3 million will be used to construct a road connecting the school with Doldol.