In May 6, the Irish Ambassador to Kenya Vincent O’Neill stirred social media after he was spotted riding on a mkokoteni drawn by oxen.
He was on his way to open a school in Makueni county, a picture which laid bare the fate of the African child in search for education.
Over 200 pupils had to walk 20 kilometres to a nearby school before the centre, which the Ambassador was set to open, was established.
Kenya Child Foundation - an Irish organisation, saw the establishment of St Patrick’s Primary School is located in Kawese, Mukaa, Makueni county.
This came following a visit by John and Ciara McCarrick to Kawese who established the Kenyan Child Foundation CLG and developed a fundraising campaign to build St Patrick primary school.
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"Our group visited as part of outreach programme to oversee the school building project and consider small business projects with the community," McCarrick, the chairperson Kenyan Child Foundation, said.
Mc Carrick first visited the small school building in July 2014 with one teacher teaching 36 pupils.
St Patrick's Primary School, Phase 1 commenced in December 2015 and was completed in July 2015 with 5 new Classrooms.
"Phase 2,commenced November 2016 and got completed in April 2017 with three new classrooms, while
a brighter future,St Patrick's Primary School commenced in December 2017 and
completed in May 2018 with 5 new classrooms,"he added.
The school has seen high number of pupils enrolling and has been promoting gender equality and combating absenteeism with bicycles through the World Bicycle Relief Programme.
The remaining works in Project Plan for Phase 3 will be the upgrade of Phase 1 building to including the conversation of exacting classrooms into school and community hall , school library, staff room,
school office and new nursery planned for completing date March 2019.
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The school will be
providing clean drinking water after an independent borehole well and
water supply for school including children's drink founts is
completed in December 2018.
They have created a breakfast club.
"Not only do the students of Kawese have a new primary school, a breakfast club, and an easier journey to school with shoes and bicycles – the wider community are also empowered by the access to clean drinking water, power, community projects and employment," McCarrick said.
He said that the objectives of the project were to set up a primary school providing free quality primary education for 200 students by 2018.
They will also include children's playground area, sports pitch & grass 200m running track all planned for completion between March/ April 2019.
"Before St Patrick’s, Children were walking 20km to school each day and this prevented many of them from getting an education," he said on Saturday.
Margaret, a standard two pupil, narrated the risks that came with the previous school where she was forced to cross the busy Mombasa-Nairobi Highway and also a river which was rendered impassable during the rainy season.
"I leave for school at 6:00 am, carrying my lunch of maize and beans and walk to school crossing a river along the way. Sometimes it is difficult to cross this river especially during the rainy season as there is no bridge," Margaret said.
She added that the busy highway made it difficult to cross over the old school in Kalimbini, which is fifteen kilometres away from her home.
A pupil, only identified as Kyoto, was killed while crossing the highway on his way to the old school.
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