Makini acquires Kisumu’s Bhayani School

Makini School in Kibos, Kisumu (Photo: Denish Ochieng/ Standard)

Makini School has acquired Bhayani Nursery and Primary School in Kisumu at an undisclosed amount.

Makini will lease the Bhayani School property from Shree Lohana Mahajan community in Kisumu, which had plans to close it.

“With the Bhayani’s decision to close the school, Scholé saw an opportunity to support the Lohajan Community Trust by leasing the land at the current market value,” Makini said in a statement.

The deal between Makini and Mahajan community will see the Makini absorb the current 250 learners at Bhayani School under a bursary scheme.

The buyout brings Makini’s campuses in Kisumu to three out of eight nationwide.

Additionally, it announced its plans to invest Sh100 million in its Western Kenya campuses. It intends to establish a high school in 2020 in the Makini Kibos campus and expand its boarding facilities to accommodate Class Six to Form Four students.

Last year, the founder of Makini Schools Mary Okello sold it to three foreign investors: Advtech, Scholé Limited, and Caerus Capital for Sh930 million.

South Africa’s Advtech owns 71 per cent, UK based investor Scholé owns 25 per cent and Caerus Capital owns four per cent.

The institution has eight schools on four campuses in Nairobi and Kisumu and caters to 3200 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

A growing list of international investors has set their eyes on Kenya’s private education sector owing to the high demand for quality schooling from local wealthy and middle-class families and expatriates.

Premium schools charge yearly fees of between Sh200, 000 and Sh600, 000 for day scholars while those in boarding school pay up to Sh1.7 million a year.