Cheserem's emotional moment brings more blessings for poor school

By Andrew Munyoki

Lingithya primary school, where Commission on Revenue Allocation [CRA] chairman Micah Cheserem broke down in tears after he found pupils learning under trees when he visited Kitui county has reaped big from the man’s tears.

Apart from the Kshs 100,000 the CRA chairman donated from his pocket , another Kshs 100,000 from the CRA corporate social responsibility kitty and some Kshs 1 million from the county government of Kitui, the learning institution will now benefit with close to Kshs 10 million from the Kenya Airways which will be spend on construction of  classrooms and other structures.

The tiny school in Kanziko location of Kitui south with an enrolment of 112 pupils and three teachers will receive a new look after construction of a nine classroom block, a modern library, dining hall and dormitory for learners.

Kenya Airways head of corporate social responsibility for
sustainable development Ms. Georgina Ndawa interacts with
pupils at Lingithya primary school in Kitui South after the
KQ teams visited the school on Tuesday last week
 (Photo:Andrew Munyoki)

It will also have a modern fence erected to secure the compound from wild animals from the nearby Tsavo east national park, several water tanks for provision of safe water for learners and staff and modern toilets to boost hygiene and sanitation which is visibly lacking in the school.

Ms. Georgina Ndawa, the KQ head of corporate social responsibility for sustainable development unit said work will commence immediately and is expected to be completed in six month’s time to provide pupils with a new and better learning environment.

Kenya airways felt compelled to sponsor development of the school after the standard newspaper carried a story earlier last week showing the harsh conditions children as young as five years old endured to obtain education in a region largely affected by poverty.

“We were touched by the story and felt our support was needed most in this school to help these children obtain quality education to enable them compete fairly with others from privileged regions”   Ms. Ndawa said when addressing parents and members of the community at the school on Tuesday.

Area member of county assembly James Munuve who led both the CRA and KQ teams in their visits to Kitui south to see the school thanked the team for its role in ensuring poor children in Africa receive education and other necessities for development under its sustainable projects.

“It is a pity to see some of our kids learning under trees with no structure to call a classroom when we are waiting to celebrate the millennium development goals less than two years from today” Mr. Munuve lamented.

The Lingithya primary school project is the first of its kind by KQ in Kitui County