Learners in Tigania will no longer make a 20-kilometre return trip to school after local Administration Police officers complete the construction of a secondary school by January 2020.
The APs intend to raise Sh20 million through a marathon for the proposed Kamithega Day Secondary School.
“The Kamithega Primary School has nine acres and the community has agreed to give us four acres for a modern secondary school, with an administration block, classrooms, library and laboratories,” Administration Police Leadership School commandant Rem Mutabari said on Saturday.
The officers hope that by reducing the distance students trek to school, they will have helped in the eradication of teenage pregnancies among girls.
The nearest school for most students is more than 10 kilometres away. "They cover 20 km daily. As the administration police, our idea is to work with the clergy and local leaders to provide a school for the children near their homes,” Mutabari said.
He said the number of schoolgirls getting pregnant is alarmingly high. The girls are exposed to sex predators on their way to and from school, the boss of the Tigania East-based APLSC added.
His concern was echoed by Fr Julius Kiogora of Mikinduri Catholic Parish.
Kiogora said students wake up as early as 4am to cover the 10km to Michii Mikuru and Ametho schools. Many get back home not earlier than 8pm.
"They walk in darkness very early and at night, so you can imagine how they are exposed to sexual harassment. The solution is to build a school near their homes."
Michii Mikuru location chief John Kaberia and Kiogora said students suffered a lot during the rainy seasons.
“The community is happy that the AP School has come to partner with the Catholic Church. The local constituency development fund has pledged one classroom,” Kaberia said.
In 2016, the AP school built a community health centre in the area through a similar initiative.
“Our doctors raised the alarm of the many school children being pregnant and forced to interrupt their education. As stakeholders in community issues, we sat down with the local leaders and clergy. The community requested that just as we had built a health centre for them, they need a day school,” Mutabari said yesterday.
According to Mutabari, the marathon will not be an avenue for raising funds, but will also be used to create awareness on teenage pregnancies. The event will take place on September 28.
The officers have already reached out to Tigania East MP Josphat Gichunge, EALA MP (Mpuru Aburi), Sportspesa and others to partners to help fundraise of the project
“We want to reach out to the community and local schools on a sensitization mission because we want the girls to get all the support they need to learn. The challenge of pregnancies must be arrested. We are mentoring the girls and the boys so that they can go through their education in the right environment,” he said.
