Safaricom M-PESA Foundation has unveiled plans to invest Sh115 million in major infrastructure improvements at Sango and Makhwabuye Comprehensive Schools in Lugari Constituency, Kakamega County.
The two institutions will receive Sh60 million and Sh55 million respectively under the Foundation’s Citizens of the Future Programme, an initiative designed to enhance access to quality education through improved learning facilities.
As part of the upgrade, each school will benefit from 11 new classrooms, a modern administration block, a contemporary kitchen, a science laboratory and a fully equipped 40-seater ICT laboratory.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony held at Sango Comprehensive School, Safaricom M-PESA Foundation Chairperson Joseph Ogutu said the project reflects the Foundation’s continued commitment to strengthening school infrastructure nationwide and preparing learners for participation in a digital-driven economy.
He said: “Safaricom M-PESA Foundation is putting a lot of emphasis on the education sector, and that is why it is investing a lot in schools across the country. For Sango Comprehensive School, our Board approved Sh60 million to transform the school.
“We are going to have a completely new school from Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) to junior school. We shall also construct a modern kitchen fitted with a heavy-duty energy-saving jiko to prepare meals for the learners.
The school will also get a science and an ICT laboratory, which will be fitted with computers and internet access. What we are asking the school is that it should allow neighbouring schools also to utilise the laboratory to equip their learners with digital literacy skills,” Ogutu said.
Ogutu further encouraged the school’s management to extend access to the ICT laboratory to members of the public seeking government services such as E-Citizen, at a modest fee to support the facility’s maintenance.
He added that the contractor has been given 8 months to complete the construction work.
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera lauded the Foundation for partnering with the constituency to improve education infrastructure, noting that the facelift will significantly enhance the learning environment in both schools.
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He said: “As residents of Lugari Constituency, we appreciate the Foundation for accepting to invest heavily in our schools.
“As a constituency, we have over 121 schools. When I was elected in 2022, we had 25 schools, including Sango and Makhwabuye, with mud-walled classrooms. By the 25th, 18 — including Mohomo, Majengo, Mugunga, and others — had been condemned.
However, I have tried my level best, and once the upgrade of the two is complete, only two will be left, and I am working out how to transform them,” the MP said.
Nabwera observed that despite the presence of many organisations in the country, Safaricom has stood out in its engagement with communities, earning public goodwill through its social investments.
“They have shown us they can share their profits without minding their balance sheet. They have proved to us that they are a social institution,” he stated.
By Joseph Mambili
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