By Talarus Chesang
Over 500 permanent classrooms have been constructed in Baringo Central Constituency in the last four years courtesy of the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).
Area Member of Parliament Joshua Kandie on Tuesday said the modern structures are spread in 182 schools; both primary and secondary across the constituency.
“I took over in 2017 when the majority of our schools were in pathetic conditions but my plan to ensure all the structures are permanent by 2024 started” Kandie said.
He said currently each and every of the 135 primary and 47 secondary schools have been touched with at least three, four or complete permanent classrooms.
“Of course we could not have managed to complete all the structures within a short time with the limited resources,” remarked the legislator.
Kandie said in fact that some of the learning institutions had zero permanent structures, forcing pupils to learn under trees while others battled with snakes in pathetic mud-walls and timber structures.
“When I took over the seat I would have personally wished in thoughts to smash out all the shanty classrooms and replace them permanent structures at once, but it was not possible with the meager resources,” he added.
He therefore decided to work with the slim NG-CDF budget and is hoping to complete and ensure that all the learners carry out their studies in modern classrooms by 2024.
The legislator however lashed out his competitors for using the horrific state of some few remaining school structures to attack him politically, saying that they were a working progress.
“I therefore urge my people to ignore the photos of the poorly-structured classrooms being taken and circulated on social media” he said.
He reiterated that behind the same schools being posted negatively are already complete two, three or five permanent structures courtesy of NG-CDF.
“If someone did something good let it also be said instead of people focusing only on the negative side,” Kandie said.
He said he believes in running the politics of 21st century of always telling his electorates about doable truths unlike his opponents who still dwell in the 18th century politics of cheap propaganda.
Kandie further felt he has so far done much better work than majority of his colleagues who have stayed in the National assembly for many years.
During the recent KORA awards, the MP serving his first term has was rated as the best in Baringo, second in Rift Valley and seventh overall nationally on parameter of properly utilizing the NG-CDF to construct modern classrooms and increased school bursaries from the initial Sh300,000 to Sh800,000 in every Sub-location.
He has sunk several boreholes within the constituency, equipped hospital wards and maternity wings with beds, availed ambulance vehicles and firefighting engines.
Kandie has however taken up the challenge from critics to further utilize the NG-CDF to improve the school structures and livelihood of his constituents.
