@ppcheti
Residents of Manda Island in Lamu have asked the government to build more schools area.
The island is home to over 2,000 people and has three schools. It has three schools; Manda Airport and Manda Maweni primary schools and the Manda Airport Secondary school.
Residents say the schools cannot accommodate the many learners in the area.
The island's population has risen, thanks to the steady migration of people from across Lamu county.
Bernard Onyango, a village headman, said more schools should be put up.
“Manda is no longer that small place. There are so many people here and more are still coming in daily. Three schools are not even close enough. We need at least seven more,” Onyango said.
He said parents were worried their children might be attacked by wild animals as they walk to school. The area has lions, buffaloes and some of the most venomous snakes.
Manda Island also lacks a tarmac road.
“Children walk for long distances to and from school. We don’t have roads and that means all that walking takes place in bushes and thickets. We want schools closer so that we don’t have to worry about our children when they leave for school,” Johnson Kamau said.
The island was recently put on a temporary curfew after three lions roamed the village and terrorised residents.
The lions were later driven back to their Boni Dodori Reserve by Kenya Wildlife Service officers. It was said they swam across the Indian Ocean to the island in search of food.
edited by peter obuya
