In Kisumu, 100-year-old school struggles to keep its shape

The centennial celebration of any institution is a time marked by festivities to look back at the great yesteryear and look ahead to what the next century holds. It is however a grim picture for one of the oldest primary schools in Nyanza: Kisumu Union Primary School.

Formerly known as Komulo Primary School, Kisumu Union was started in 1919.

The school, which can easily make the cut for a grace-to-grass story, sits on 10 acres on the southeastern side of Kisumu’s central business district. It features dilapidated structures, an opposite representation of the institution at its establishment.

In an impromptu visit to Kisumu Union, we saw a defaced gate, a waist-length bushy compound and pre-colonial classrooms with broken windowpanes or none, badly calling for renovation.

Kisumu’s public health department nearly closed the institution earlier this year because of clogged toilets caused by structures sitting on sewer lines serving it. This was a wake-up call for Kisumu Union alumni.

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