Residents of Witeithie Ward in Juja, Kiambu County, want a secondary school established in the area to reduce crime and drug abuse as many children fall into drugs after their primary education.
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.
“Most children fail to proceed to secondary school and fall into drugs and crime. It’s high time our leaders intervened to correct the situation,” Leonard Kiguru said.
They noted that most children in the area get into alcohol, drugs and petty crimes as there is nowhere else to turn to.
Yet there is another problem; they complained that public land earmarked for such projects have been grabbed by unscrupulous individuals.
Koimburi agreed, noting that corrupt individuals had forged land ownership documents for public spaces in the area.
“Land grabbing has been an impediment to many public projects in this area, but we are working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that all grabbed community land is reverted back to the public,” he said.
The MP promised to lobby for funds to put up a day secondary school, saying he has already reached out to the Ministry of Education (MoE).
“I understand the suffering that parents and learners from this area undergo, and we will knock all doors until we get adequate resources to deliver this crucial project,” he promised.
The area has no secondary school, forcing children to trek for over 15 kilometres to the nearest one; Nyacaba Secondary School.
But once there, most become vulnerable and throw in the towel after a little attempt. Majority of them do not proceed to secondary school at all.
By Kamau Njoroge
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