By Callistus Imbayi
Shamberere Boys Secondary School in Kakamega North Sub-county is in a dilapidated state.
The iron sheets of the classrooms, laboratories and sanitation have wasted away while the walls are also in a poor state.
Most of the classrooms are old and dilapidated and need urgent attention from the relevant education stakeholders in the area and beyond in order to stop gambling with students’ lives as well as denying them their rights of access to good and comfortable educational facilities.
Shamberere Boys Principal Robert Lumbasi now appeals to the Government and well-wishers to help the school undergo an infrastructure facelift saying that the institution is in need of classrooms, a well-equipped administration block and computer laboratory.
It has a student population of 250 and it is experiencing a shortage of teachers with only 12 teachers employed by Teachers Service Commission and without a Physics teacher.
In 2017, the Kakamega North Sub-county a total of ten secondary schools received the funds aimed at upgrading their structures with each school being awarded over Sh1 million.
Among the beneficiaries were Friends Mutsuma Secondary, Centre of Excellence Samitsi Girls and Friends School Lukala, St Anthony Kakoyi, Mang’uliro Secondary, Lwandeti Secondary, Friends Mugai Secondary, Friends Malava Boys, Silungai Boys and Friends Tande Secondary.
The institution however applauds West Kenya Sugar Company for the scholarship it provides for the needy but bright students in the institution.
The sugar milling company located in Shamberere, South Kabras, through its social corporate responsibility helps the institution with a certain amount of money every year to cater for the needy students who join the school.
Lumbasi praised the move by the sugar firm saying that such a gesture gives hope to the less fortunate in the community.
Lumbasi who is only one year old in the institution revealed that 25 bright but needy students are selected through fair vetting and put on the programme that runs throughout the four years of their secondary education.
He added that in 2016–2017, the company invested Sh3.4 million in the education of the needy students in the school
“We appreciate West Kenya Sugar Company for the support they are giving to the needy students through the scholarship. We understand that poverty index is very high in the community around that most parents are unable to pay school fees,” the school head said.
Nine students from Shamberere qualified to join university in the in 2017 KCSE.The school had a mean score of 4.130 with two students recording B plain, 3 B- and 4 C+.
The school was established in 1971 under the sponsorship of the Friends Church in collaboration with the community.
It started as a Harambee mixed day secondary and later between 2008 and 2011 gradually turned into a Boys’ boarding school.
