• In the initiative, individuals, groups and families adopt classrooms, which they construct to completion.
• Principal Fred Mogaka hailed the former students for the initiative and appealed to more to come on board.
Former Kisii School students and their families have come together to build classrooms to ease congestion at the institution ahead of the admission of Form 1s next month.
In the initiative, individuals, groups and families 'adopt' classrooms, which they construct to completion.
Already, the 1991 KCSE cohort and the family of Joseph Atandi have started constructing some classrooms.
“We have a three-storey skeleton in place which has cost Sh11 million, exclusively from old boys. Those adopting the classrooms will do walling and finishing,” Richard Atandi, the treasurer of Kisii School Old Boys Association, said.
His Class of 1991 and family were the first to adopt two classrooms. Atandi, a Kisii-based businessman, said the former students agreed to name the classrooms after those who adopted them.
He said construction of one classroom costs approximately Sh550,000.
Principal Fred Mogaka hailed the former students for the initiative and appealed for more people to come on board and adopt classrooms.
He launched the construction of the classrooms on Thursday together with Atandi.
“This is a unique initiative. I want to encourage all former students to join their colleagues in completing this project, which will ease congestion in the school. We are engaging more former students to come on board,” Mogaka said.
“With the government’s 100 per cent transition, our facilities are stretched. I’m happy that former students started this project to complement government and parents’ efforts. We want to have at least three classrooms ready before Form 1s report to school next month.”
Mogaka said a classroom that should have at least 50 students currently accommodates up to 68 students. The school has 10 streams.
Koba secretary Henry Mosioma, a teacher at the school, said the project started in 2019 when former students raised Sh11 million. The money was used to construct 10 classrooms.
“Most of our facilities, including dormitories and classrooms, are congested. As old boys, we decided to give back to our school by constructing 10 classrooms. The money which was raised has already done a three-storey skeleton structure,” he told reporters at the institution.
Some of the prominent former students include Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, Governors James Ongwae (Kisii), Amos Nyaribo (Nyamira), Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega), Wilber Ottichilo (Vihiga), Cornel Rasanga (Siaya) and former Nyamira Governor John Nyagarama.
Former Cabinet minister Simeon Nyachae was the patron of Koba. When President Uhuru Kenyatta attended Nyachae's burial, he promised to donate Sh5 million in honour of the former minister.
“Most of the prominent former students have contributed to our project, while others have promised to give their contributions,” Mosioma said.
Edited by A.N