Nairobi county to get 5,000 classrooms as enrollment rises

From left: Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli during Jamuhuri Day Celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, on December 12, 2024. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard] Nairobi county is set to get 5000 classrooms in primary schools to accommodate the huge number of learners. Speaking during Jamhuri Day celebrations in Nairobi, Thursday, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said the national government has issued Sh1 billion to local Members of Parliament to construct the classrooms. "Nairobi MPs have been given Sh1 billion to build the primary school classrooms," he said, adding that the county government is also building 1,500 classrooms. Sakaja attributed the increased enrollment to the introduction of the school feeding programme dubbed "dishi na county." "Dishi na county we have been able to hit a milestone this year, every single day we are feeding 310,000 children at only Sh5 and enrollment has gone up and attendance at 100 per cent," he said. He lauded the national government for supporting the programme, saying there is a need for more classrooms. This comes as the government races against time to complete the construction of 11,000 Grade Nine classrooms. "Next year, we shall be having Grade 9 and we need more classrooms, the government has laid down plans. We are in the process of completing 11,000 classrooms for Grade 9,'' President William Ruto said in October. Ruto said the government had allocated Sh3.5 billion to the NG-CDF kitty to facilitate legislators to construct 6,000 more classrooms as part of preparations for Grade 9 pupils. This comes amid concerns over the State's readiness to address the infrastructural and staffing challenges associated with the Competency Based Curriculum. Despite the government's assurance to streamline the transition, experts argue that there exists a deficit of 32,000 classrooms and laboratories across over 23,000 primary schools to accommodate the 1.5 million learners. Meanwhile, Sakaja some of the city roads will be renamed after musicians to honour their legacy. The governor said a road in South C will be renamed after the late Boomba musician, Issah M'mari Wangui popularly known as E-Sir. E-Sir died in March 2003 in a road accident in Naivasha. "We shall be honouring our artists by renaming some of the roads after them. One of the roads in South C shall be named after the great hero E-sir," Sakaja said. He said Nairobi is now home to local and international artists and the county has opened an avenue for artistes to make a living through creative works. The governor announced that the youth are free to create content in the city as they do not need a permit to shoot as was the case before. "I am confident that we are firmly on course to transform opportunities for our creative industry. I salute the actors in our creative spaces whose work brings life to our cities, streets and screens, yet their achievements are overshadowed by injustice," Ruto said. Sakaja lauded the president for opening up the digital economy. He said this has seen social media and entertainment applications record immense growth. "We thank you President William Ruto because you have led from the front, you have engaged TikTok, YouTube and other platforms. You have travelled to international countries to engage many people and our young people can now monetise their content," he said. Ruto tasked the Kenya Copyright Board, in conjunction with industry players and eCitizen to establish a transparent, real-time system for royalty collection and distribution to rightful owners and beneficiaries.

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