The Mpesa Foundation is set to undertake an infrastructural upgrade at Oboch comprehensive school in Rarieda Sub County at a cost of KSH 35 million.
Through the Citizens of the Future programme, the foundation will construct classrooms, an ICT lab, an administration block, and a kitchen at the school.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony for the upgrade of facilities at Oboch comprehensive school, Safaricom Foundation Chairman Joe Ogutu said the citizens for the future programme aims at improving infrastructure in selected schools in the country and equipping the schools with ICT facilities to prepare the students to serve in a digital economy.
Oboch Comprehensive School becomes the second school in the region to benefit from the Safaricom M-Pesa Foundation initiative after Kametho Primary and Junior Secondary School was considered for infrastructural upgrade through the same program in May this year.
The Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Eliud Owalo, alumni of Oboch Comprehensive School, who graced the ground-breaking ceremony, commended the Safaricom Foundation for their contribution towards improving the quality of education in the country.
“I have a lot of sentimental attachment for this school because this is where I attended school and sat for CPE, and so we are here to give back to this school, and I am grateful for the support from Safaricom Foundation, which has agreed to support the upgrade of infrastructure at the school as they undertake the same in other parts of the country,” Owalo said.
Mr. Owalo stated that he will also be sourcing funds from the Ministry of Education for the infrastructural upgrade of the neighbouring Oboch secondary school to improve learning facilities at the institution.
The Chief of Staff disclosed that the prophet Johana Owalo Mausoleum located within Nomiya church headquarters is currently under renovation by the national museum through the Ministry of Culture and would be ready by January next year to be launched simultaneously with new facilities at Oboch comprehensive school, which is sponsored by the Nomiya church.
Owalo, on the other hand, called upon the locals to support government initiatives, saying the government, under the leadership of President William Ruto, has made life bearable for Kenyans over the last two years he has been in office.
“I ask everyone to support the government because for the last two years we have seen a drop in prices of critical commodities like fuel, Unga and fertiliser, which were way too expensive for Kenyans when Ruto took office,” he said.
He also asked the locals to register with the Social Health Authority, which will enable low-income earners to access healthcare which they could not afford before, and at the same time asked them to take advantage of the low interest rates of hustler funds to access business loans to grow their businesses.
By Brian Ondeng
