Utafiti Primary School in Kericho County suffered an unfortunate incident when their only remaining toilet facilities sunk into the ground. Fortunately, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) donated a newly constructed modern ablution block.
It is a basic requirement in every school to have latrines or toilet facilities because of the huge number of learners and the need for high levels of hygiene.
The modern ablution block brought to an end many days of great suffering and shame for the 567 pupils following the sinking of their only remaining toilet facility caved in. This forced the administration of the school to seek the help of the KDF as a means of a quick action.
The Chief of Defence Forces Robert Kibochi approved the commencement of the construction of the ablution block comprising of 10 toilet rooms and a urinal in January 2021.
The KDF went a step further and installed a 5,000 litres water tank and renovated the floor of two classrooms in the school.
The Project Manager Lt. Col. Gabriel Kibuchi on Friday the 1st of March 2021 handed over the ablution block as part of the community support efforts of the Kenya Defence Forces.
Kibuchi then implored pupils of Utafiti Primary School to make good use of the facilities to boost their education.
The school, located in Kipkelion East having only 16 teachers but managed to perform highly in the 2019 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE). In the 2019 KCPE, Utafiti Primary School had a mean score of 385 marks.
At the function, the Headteacher of the school said he got to know about the Kenya Defence Forces’ community development program via their Facebook Page.
In August last year (2020), many KDF soldiers who stayed at a local school in Murang’a chose to repair classrooms and repainted the school gate before leaving.
They stayed at the Wathiani Primary School in Maragua while refurbishing the Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line. After completing their work they chose to give the school a token of their gratitude by doing the renovations.
“KDF engineers who were rehabilitating the Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line were accommodated at the Wathiani Primary School in Murang’a County. They renovated classroom walls, roof, repainted the gate, and installed 5,000-liter water, giving the school a fresh look,” said the Kenya Defence Forces.