The head teacher of Bondeni Primary School in Kakamega, Stephen Maramba, has urged Kakamega County Governor Fernandes Barasa to expedite the sealing of the gully surrounding the school compound, as delaying action is perilous.
In an interview at his office, Maramba expressed gratitude for the governor’s earlier visit in January, during which the governor agreed to address the dangerous gully affecting the learners.
“His directives were acted upon shortly after his visit when the County Executive Commitee Member for Environment, Penina Mukabane, and the his counterpart for Public Works, Architect Patrick Kundu, came to inspect the site.
They promised to return with engineers to evaluate the gully and determine how work would proceed,” he said. However, he lamented that no progress has been made so far.
The two CECMs had asked him to gather more soil, which he has done. “We are using soil from Bukhungu Stadium, which is currently under construction. The soil is ready, but we lack the engineers and machinery necessary to complete the job,” he emphasized.
The school is still awaiting the governor to fulfill his promise that the gully would be filled the day after his visit.
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Maramba remains hopeful, suggesting that recent busy events in the country, including the African Union Commission (AUC) elections in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, may be the cause of the delay.
He expressed optimism, stating that he believes the governor will keep his word and that the commitments made will come to fruition. “As a school, we are still waiting for him, especially regarding the construction of the ECD center. We believe these two projects will indeed take place,” he said.
When Governor Barasa announced the sealing of the deep gully and the construction of the ECD center, local teachers, learners, and parents were present. The school community is confident that the ECD center is scheduled for construction in July this year, while the gully work was meant to begin immediately after the governor’s visit.
The head teacher has also warned students to avoid the area beyond the gully, noting that they had previously erected a fence to ensure safety, but it was stolen. A second fence was installed, only to be taken down by the same thieves, who are neighbours from Masingo Slum.
These thieves, who deal in scrap metals, quickly sell anything metallic they can obtain. “We are simply waiting for the governor to assist us,” the head teacher lamented.
The school, which is sponsored by the African Divine Church (ADC), suffered the collapse of a structure within its compound due to a heavy downpour experienced in May last year.
By Hilda Atika
