A Kwale community leader on Saturday donated 10 iron sheets to Mwangani
Primary School in Mwavumbo Ward, but used the handover to highlight a bigger crisis: new data shows that children in classrooms with leaking roofs score 18% lower in foundational literacy tests.
Angus Mbudzya, a Mwavumbo Ward MCA aspirant, delivered the iron sheets to help repair the Grade 3 classroom, which has been unusable during rains since March. The 45 pupils have been forced to crowd into the Grade 2 room, disrupting lessons.
“When it rains, two classes become one. The teacher shouts, children can’t hear, and no reading happens,” said Headteacher Mr Nori.
“For Grade 3, this is when they must master ‘Kusoma na Kuandika’. You cannot learn to read when you are wet and squeezed.”
The donation comes a week after learning assessment found that Kwale County pupils in schools with poor infrastructure are 1.8 times more likely to be unable to read a Grade 2-level Swahili sentence.
The report singled out leaking roofs and lack of desks as “silent drivers of illiteracy.”
“CBC demands competency. But how do you become competent when your book is soaked?” Mr Ndoro said during the handover.
“These 10 iron sheets are not about politics. They are about protecting foundational literacy. If a child cannot read by Grade 3, they are lost for life.” said Mr Ndoro
Kenya’s Basic Education Act 2013 mandates “safe and adequate learning facilities” for every child. However, the National School Infrastructure Policy 2016 has no emergency clause for rapid repairs below Ksh 100,000. Schools must wait for the full CDF or County Government procurement cycle, which averages 6-9 months.
Mr Ndoro confirmed the school applied to Kinango CDF “We were told to wait for the next financial year. Meanwhile, Term 2 exams are in June.”
Mr Ndoro is now pushing for Kwale County Emergency Classroom Repair Policy” that would allow MCAs to use up to 5% of Ward Development Funds for school repairs under Ksh 50,000 without lengthy tendering.
“The policy exists for roads. Why not for roofs? A road can wait. A child’s literacy cannot,” he said.
The 10 iron sheets cost Ksh 8,000. Fixing the entire roof requires 25 sheets plus timber and nails roughly Ksh 45,000.
According to the Kwale County CIDP 2023-2027, the Education Department allocated Ksh 12 million for “classroom construction” but zero for “emergency maintenance” of existing structures.
“Building new classes while old ones leak is bad financing,” said Mr Ndoro. “If each of the 20 wards ring-fenced just Ksh 200,000 yearly for emergency school repairs, we could fix 80 classrooms per year. That’s 3,200 children whose learning we save.”
School BOM Chair James Mwarandu said parents will provide free labor to install the sheets next week.
“The leader gave the mabati. We will give our hands. But we need County to give us a system, not just emergency harambees.”
The Sub-County Education Office said it will conduct an infrastructure audit of all 42 public primary schools in Kinango by next year.
Meanwhile, Grade 3 pupils at Mwangani Primary School have a new chant. When asked what they want, they shouted: “Paa mpya, kusoma mpya “New roof, new reading.”
