Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa has asked elected leaders and other education stakeholders to collaborate in order to realise the county’s academic potential.
Barasa made the call during the commissioning of an eight-classroom, storeyed-block, constructed by the National Government Constituency Development Fund, at Tekoa Comprehensive School in Lumakanda ward, Lugari constituency.
He lauded the area Member of Parliament Nabii Nabwera for the impactful work he is doing in transforming the constituency’s education sector, saying the efforts complement his administration’s education pillar.
The governor disclosed that in the last financial year, the constituency was allocated Sh24 million under the county bursary scheme, with each of the six wards receiving Sh4 million in support of needy learners.
He told residents that a similar amount would be allocated in this financial year in order to enable needy students from the constituency to seamlessly access education.
Nabwera said the state-of-the-art classroom block is part of his ‘Ondoa Matope’ initiative, geared towards replacing mud-walled and substandard classrooms across the constituency with modern structures.
He underscored the importance of education as a sole equaliser in life, reminding parents of the need to prioritise their children’s education and provide a favourable learning environment.
“This is among the three storeyed buildings we have completed so far. In the last two years, we have managed to upgrade 14 schools by constructing between three to nine classrooms in each of them,” he stated.
He told the Governor that it was only through cooperation between the county and the national government that the community’s livelihoods could be transformed.
He said, “The county government came to my rescue during the issuance of bursaries. I have over 1000 beneficiaries of the NG-CDF scholarship; hence, the bursary allocation from the kitty could not have been adequate.”
“However, when I sat down with the Members of County Assembly, we agreed to avoid duplication of beneficiaries. With such collaboration, many needy learners in the constituency benefitted from the bursary kitties,” the MP said.
Likuyani Legislator Innocent Mugabe also lauded his Lugari counterpart for his efforts in uplifting the school infrastructure and academic performance of schools in the constituency.
He said the infrastructural development record within Lugari schools for the last two years was unparalleled, urging the community to fully support the MP’s initiatives.
Western Kenya KEPSHA Chair Andrew Omusale and Lugari KNUT Branch Chairman Godfrey Muleri thanked Nabwera for the huge investment in the constituency’s education sector, urging parents and other stakeholders to actively play their respective roles to ensure performance matches the modern school infrastructure.
The newly constructed multi-storeyed block is designed to accommodate at least 60 learners per classroom.
By Melechezedeck Ejakait
