Kenya plans to pump Sh1.6 billion for public schools in readiness for reopening

The Government of Kenya has planned to pump up to Sh1.6 billion into public schools in the next two months ahead of their scheduled reopening in January, according to a news report by Daily Nation.

According to Education Chief Administrative Secretary Zack Kinuthia, the cash will be used to set up additional classrooms, ablution blocks, and labs. 

The project is being implemented through the secondary education quality improvement program (SEQUIP) sponsored by the World Bank.

"Through SEQUIP, we have set aside Sh1.6 billion to construct ablution blocks, laboratories, classrooms, and any other facility that is required by the 30 targeted counties," said Kinuthia.

The program, which began in 2017 and is projected to cost Sh8.2 billion in six years, will benefit schools that are ‘educationally and economically disadvantaged.

It targets 7,852 public primary and 2,147 public secondary schools, which were identified based on the high incidence of poverty and low retention rate. They also looked at the number of primary schools and low transition rate to secondary institutions.

Many public primary schools are in poor condition, with some lacking electricity. A report by the World Health Organisation and United Nations Children’s Fund released on August 13 revealed that most schools have poor infrastructure, particularly toilets.