Bumula Constituency’s Member of Parliament (MP) Hon Jack Wamboka has flagged off a school feeding programme meant for all class eight students in the constituency.
Speaking at Bumula Girls High School during the official launch of the programme, Hon Wamboka said that the move is intended to ensure that all the 9,000 students across the 55 public primary schools who will benefit from the programme improve their performance in this year’s upcoming Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations.
Through his Foundation called the ‘Hon Jack Wamboka Foundation’, the MP has been able to buy 600 bags of maize at a cost of Kes. 5,000 per bag and 300 bags of beans to sustain the programme for the whole term.
Hon Wamboka lauded teachers for their dedication and role in ensuring that he won the MP seat during last year’s general elections.
The MP also urged parents to support teachers to ensure good results are achieved. He added that he expects no school to attain a mean score of less than 250 marks.
In addition to the school feeding programme, Hon Wamboka promised to improve the school’s infrastructure through the NG-CDF funds.
He said that the Constituency Board has already allocated Kes. 10 million for the construction of an administration block at the Kenya Medical Training College’s Bumula Campus.
Khwisero Constituency MP Hon Christopher Aseka and his Luanda counterpart Hon Dick Maungu said that the move will boost learners from poor families and teachers as it will help a lot in time management at school during lunch hours.
Bungoma County Women Representative Hon Catherine Wambilianga issued sanitary towels to the school’s girls.
Hon Wambilianga urged parents with children who drop out of school due to early pregnancies to contact her to get a second chance at continuing with their education.
“Through National Government Affirmative Action (NGAAF) my office is offering a chance through bursaries and even scholarships to teenage mothers who dropped out of school after getting pregnant,” said Hon Wambilianga.
The TSC Sub-County Director Mr Joseph Musyoka said that 110 teachers had been deployed in Bumula and Kimaeti sub-counties to teach in Junior Secondary Schools (JSS).
Bungoma County Governor Hon Ken Lusaka also pledged to drill a borehole and install mast floodlights at Bumula Girls secondary and primary schools.
Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association Mr Augustine Watamba and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Chairperson of Bungoma County Mr David Barasa were also present at the event.