Parents from Witeithie Ward in Juja, Kiambu County have called for construction of a secondary school in the area to cater for the increased number of learners who are not transitioning to secondary schools and instead, engage themselves in vices like alcohol, drugs and petty crimes.
They decried the situation saying that their children have been subjected to suffering as they are forced to trek for over 15 kilometers to Nyacaba Secondary School which is nearest institution.
Speaking during the disbursement of bursary cheques to day school beneficiaries in Juja, the locals called on the area leadership led by MP George Koimburi to address the matter.
“Our children are really suffering walking for long distances to the nearest schools which are not less than 15 kilometers away. Other learners commute on a daily basis to Kalimoni secondary school and this is costly given that most parents are peasants and casual laborers. We are pleading with the relevant authorities to intervene and build us a school,” Mary Waithera, a parent said.
“The reason why drug and substance abuse as well as crime rates are high in this area is because most children failed to proceed with their studies after completing their primary school education. It’s high time our leaders and the government intervened to save the situation,” a parent, Leonard Kiguru from Muthara village, said.
The residents pointed out that public land parcels that were earmarked for such projects like construction of a public secondary school have been grabbed by unscrupulous individuals.
Their sentiments were echoed by MP Koimburi who noted that corrupt and moneyed individuals who worked in cahoots with crooked officials at the Ministry of Lands forged land ownership documents for public spaces in the area.
“Land grabbing has been an impediment to many public projects in this area. We are however working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that all grabbed community land parcels are reverted back to the public and all title deeds produced for the parcels revoked,” Koimburi said.
The MP said that he will be lobbying for resources to put up a day secondary school in Witeithie saying that he has already reached out to the Ministry of Education of the same.
“I understand the suffering that the parents and learners from this area undergo and we will knock all requisite doors until we get adequate resources to deliver this crucial project,” he said.
At the same time, Koimburi divulged that plans are at an advanced stage to put up two boarding schools in the constituency noting that they only boarding school in Juja, Mang’u High School, is a National school that admits few learners from the host constituency.
“We have noted with concern that only about five students from Juja make it to Mang’u and the rest of bright students travel to far-flung areas to seek admission to other schools. This is the reason we want to have Girls and Boys boarding schools which will effectively accommodate our children,” Koimburi said.
So far all day secondary schools in Juja have been issued with bursary cheques and the area National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) board is currently planning to disburse bursaries to boarding schools learners as well as University and College students.
By Kamau Njoroge
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