Schools in Narok County will get a total of 9,450 school desks and lockers to be procured under the economic stimulus programme before schools reopen in January 2021.
Speaking during the prototype launching ceremony held at Ole Ntimama Stadium Friday, Narok County Commissioner Evans Achoki said 4,950 school lockers will be distributed to 70 secondary schools and a further 4500 school desks will be issued to 90 primary schools in Narok.
Mr. Achoki said that the school desks and lockers will be spread out to all the six sub counties in Narok.
He further added that the selected schools will receive an approximate of 50 desks and lockers each in two to three months’ time.
The County Commissioner said that local artisans will have an opportunity to tender and receive tenders to make and supply the desks and lockers in their own sub counties.
Artisans will be required to register for the tenders using prescribed forms that can be downloaded from the websites of the Ministries of Interior and Education or collect them from the offices of Deputy County Commissioners and Assistant County Commissioners countrywide.
The desks and lockers fall under President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Economic Stimulus Programme, where the National Government has set aside Sh1.9 billion for the supply of the locally assembled furniture to public primary and secondary schools countrywide.
President Uhuru said 622,257 desks will be delivered to some 5,254 secondary and 5,136 primary schools respectively.
At a cost Sh. 900 million, primary schools will receive 360,000 desks while secondary schools will receive 263,157 lockers and chairs at a cost of Sh.1 billion.
The move is intended to reduce congestion in classrooms and help stem the novel Coronavirus that is still ravaging the countries of the world when schools reopen.
The project which is part of the Government’s post-Covid-19 economic stimulus program, is also aimed at boosting the Jua kali sector.
Local artisans will be required to meet a certain criteria to produce high quality furniture.
The youth say the issue of capital is their main obstacle and have appealed to government and other stakeholders to consider giving them soft loans for this project.
By Mabel Keya-Shikuku/ Milka Mwangi
