Marsabit County embarks on project to keep pupils in school

What you need to know:

  • Ms Phillips said the programme is aimed at increasing enrolment in schools.
  • Mr Yattani said the county plans to establish model boarding primary schools for boys and girls at Kinisa.

The Marsabit County government will establish more boarding primary schools to increase enrolment and reduce cases of dropouts.

Marsabit Governor Ukur Yattani noted that most professionals and elites in the county went to boarding primary schools.

He was speaking at Kinisa Primary School, Moyale sub-county during the launch of a climate change adaptation programme for schools in arid areas by Department for International Development (DFID), Kanacho Nomadic Education Fund (KNEF) and International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR).

The governor was accompanied by the head of DFID Kenya, Lisa Phillips, IIRR Africa Regional Program Manager Chrispin Mwatate, Teachers Service Commission Commissioner Saadia Kontoma and Ministry of Education Assistant Director for Policy and Partnerships Milton Nzioka.

The programme will be implemented at a cost of about Sh150 million.

Mr Yattani said the county plans to establish model boarding primary schools for boys and girls at Kinisa to improve education standards in the region.

“Some pupils at Kinisa Primary School travel as far as 20 kilometres. Quite a number of pupils spend the night in the classrooms. This shows there is a desire for education that requires improved infrastructure,” he said.

He noted that boarding schools have improved accessibility to education to children in arid areas.

“The programme funded by DFID will go a long way in addressing challenges facing the education sector. Most people of my age who went to school joined boarding school at the age of eight. We are asking our partners to help us set up more boarding facilities in the county,” Mr Yattani said.

Ms Phillips said the programme is aimed at increasing enrolment in schools.

Under the programme, 100 schools in Marsabit County will get solar power, pit latrines, water tanks, tree planting, energy saving jikos, sanitary towels for girls and the development of nine model schools.