Kakamega Governor, Wycliffe Oparanya, has urged principals to reassess demands issued to parents over the damages in schools caused by students during the recent spate on unrests.
Opranya asked Kakamega High School Principal to consider the plight of guardians who have been asked to pay Ksh21 million following a strike witnessed at the institution.
Speaking at an event on Saturday, November 13, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Deputy Party Leader stated that the headteacher, Gerald Orina, was at fault for failing to consult parents and community leaders in coming up with the list of demands.
“I have received numerous phone calls from parents lamenting that the headteacher was not considerate while issuing the demands.
“At Kakamega High School, every student was asked to pay Ksh10,000 and they have approximately 2,200 students,” Oparanya wondered, terming the measure as outrageous.
He argued that the amount was equivalent to constructing nearly seven more new dormitories rather than repairing one.
Oparanya further stated that the government through the Ministry of Education was capable of repairing dormitories and classrooms.
The Ministry, he added, was well informed on how to handle such matters as it had engineers, accountants and other officers who were consulted on quotations.
Magoha, however, while addressing the rising cases of unrests in schools warned parents and teachers that the Ministry will not cover the cost of repairs. The charges, he directed, will be passed to parents.
“It looks mundane and juvenile to burn a building. It is stupid, it's primitive and must stop. We are not closing any schools," the CS vowed and further hinted at reintroducing corporal punishment in schools.
Educational experts, however, responded and urged him to create long-lasting solutions rather than engage in a blame game.
While assessing the damages at Kakamega School, Principal Orina indicated that the Ksh21 million was reached after consultations with the Ministry of Transport. The docket under CS James Macharia was noted to have carried out a conclusive analysis.
Repairs at the burned down dormitory amounted to Ksh12 million while purchasing the double-decker beds destroyed in the inferno amounted to Ksh4 million.
The school assured parents that it will donate a mattress, two blankets and two bedsheets to 560 students whose items were engulfed in the fire.
“The Ksh9,000 per student must be paid on the day they report. All outstanding fees and arrears up to the second term, 2021 must be cleared in full.
“Avail all the bank slips on opening day too,” Orina wrote in a letter to parents.
