Kakamega School Closed over Land Dispute, Lack of Latrines to Be Reopened
- Normal operations at Vikutsa Primary School in Shinyalu, Kakamega county may soon resume
- The school was closed early this year over a land dispute with a family and the lack of latrines for learners
- Shinyalu Member of Parliament Fred Ikana intervened and helped broker a deal with the family, which is demanding KSh 1.2 million for each of the 10 acres of the school land
Learning at Vikutsa Primary School in Shinyalu constituency, Kakamega county, is set to resume soon.
Source: Original
Why was Vikutsa Primary School closed?
The school has been closed for over two months due to a land dispute with a family seeking compensation and the lack of latrines.
Following the intervention of area Member of Parliament Fred Ikana, the school is now expected to resume its normal operations.
Ikana recently held a meeting with the Mudegu family, which has been demanding compensation for the use of their land to host the school.
According to the MP, the family has agreed to allow learning at the school to continue.
“We have talked to the family to allow the school's operations to continue, and they have agreed,” Ikana said.
Similar sentiments were shared by the family’s spokesperson, Alenga Mudegu. However, he insisted that the government must compensate them for the land.
The family is demanding KSh 1.2 million for each of the 10 acres on which Vikutsa Primary School sits.
“We are okay to handover the school, but we must also have our rights. We should be paid fully to allow any activity to go on,” Mudegu said.
Pupils were forced to walk long distances to attend nearby schools where they were transferred.
Locals said the move has exposed the young ones to several dangers, with others opting to drop out.
"Our children are going through hell. The schools that they were taken to after the closure of Vikutsa are very far.
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"This area has a forest, and it has dangerous animals like snakes, which sometimes scare away the children, leading to some of them absconding their studies," noted Jane Mkodo, one of the locals in the area.
They expressed hope that things would be back to normal after the family agreed to allow the school to remain on the disputed land.
Poor infrastructure at Vikutsa Primary School
Poor infrastructure at the school had been caused by the conflict over the ownership of the land. But with the matter now set to be resolved, locals believe the school will be given a facelift.
Source: Original
The school has been in existence for over 51 years, and locals say the structures it has been using were constructed in 1978.
The pit latrines were dilapidated, but the area MP pledged to fix them once the land conflict issue is fully resolved.
Mud-walled ECDE centre in Kakamega
Previously, TUKO.co.ke reported that parents at Eshikufu Comprehensive School in Lusheya/Lubinu ward, Mumias East sub-county, were up in arms over the state of the Early Childhood Development (ECDE) Centre.
The parents lamented that the school's ECDE was still mud-walled, exposing young learners to health risks.
They challenged the Kakamega County Government to ensure the facility got a facelift.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Joshua Cheloti (Editorial assistant) Joshua Cheloti is a multi-skilled journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media and Communication at Mount Kenya University. At TUKO, he's an editorial assistant. Before TUKO, he worked at Nairobi Review as an editorial writer, at Hope Media (Hope TV and Hope FM) as a correspondent in Eldoret, Hivisasa.com digital content editor and online writer, at Biblia Husema Broadcasting (BHB), Eldoret as Radio Presenter. Email: Joshua.cheloti@tuko.co.ke
Rasto Wamalwa Rasto Wamalwa is a political and current affairs journalist with over five years of experience in broadcast and print media. I have worked in various radio stations such as Bk Radio, Mitume Fm, Khendo Fm and Radio Matumaini. I also served as a news correspondent at The Kenya Times, Countysplash newspaper and Shahidi online news. I am based in Kakamega county.
