Kambai Primary School in Kangundo sub-county is decrying a power blackout that has persisted for the past five months, severely hampering the school’s operations.
Speaking to Education News, teacher Samuel Kitonga said that the electricity outage caused by a faulty transformer in the area has made it challenging for teachers to conduct Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) lessons, particularly those requiring digital devices like computers and tablets.
“We’ve been without electricity for five months now. The transformer supplying power developed issues and despite reporting it, no action has been taken. We’re struggling to implement ICT in our lessons, and it’s taking a toll on our students,” he explained.
Kitonga recounted an incident where they were forced to use a generator to facilitate computer lessons, a stopgap measure that proved inadequate.
“We had to use a generator to print exams, but some of the computers failed to function due to the prolonged disuse. We fear that if this situation continues, even the tablets provided for students may become unusable. KNEC assessments are around the corner and printing them at cyber cafes is prohibitively expensive, placing a heavy financial burden on both the school and parents,” he added.
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The power outage has also had a significant impact on the local community, particularly businesses that have suffered losses due to the prolonged blackout.
The locals are calling on Kenya Power, Tala branch, to hasten and ensure the restoration of power in the area.
By Agnes Orang’o
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