At the sprawling Mugwandi village in Kirinyaga County stands a deserted day public secondary school. The learning institution faces imminent closure as all classes are empty, save for one.
And the puzzle continues: This one class has only one student. A spot check by the Nation established that the learning institution has only one Form Two student and eight teachers who are employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
The teachers are usually idle as there are no students to teach, an issue that has raised eyebrows.
“It is lesson time and I'm waiting for my English teacher," the lone student told the Nation in an interview.
Teachers refused to speak to the press, fearing victimisation.
Mugwandi Mixed Day Secondary School in Kirinyaga county, which faces imminent closure. The school has only one Form Two student and eight teachers who are employed by Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
Photo credit: GEORGE MUNENE | NATION
"We are not allowed to speak to the media and we reserve our comments," one of the teachers said.
Residents of Kirinyaga Central Constituency said they withdrew their children from the School after the TSC took too long to post a head teacher to the learning institution.
"The School had no principal and we had to withdraw our children and enroll them in other learning institutions. We were tired of waiting for a principal and there was no way we could have allowed our children to continue studying there," one of the parents said.
The residents also said the name of the school was not favourable, saying it should be changed. Mugwandi, which in the local language, Kikuyu, means failure, appears to be living up to its name.
“This name made our children feel inferior and disliked the school,” one of the residents, Ms Judy Wamwari said.
"How can my child learn in a school with such a name? It means there are no chances of success," she said.
“The TSC delayed posting of the school principal and this angered parents who withdrew their children, leaving the institution almost empty. The school has remained without a principal for one year and the parents were not happy. Sadly, such a facility is lying idle yet we have teachers who are employed by the government and who are ready to work," Mr Gitari said.
He said only five candidates sat for last year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations from the school.
However, teachers were not willing to reveal how the candidates performed. The MP suggested that public participation be held to chart the way forward for the institution.
"This school can be converted to a technical vocational training Institute. For this to happen the views of the community should be sought," said Mr Gitari.
Kirinyaga County Commissioner Hussein Allasow said the matter was of grave concern and was being addressed.
"A team of education officers has been dispatched to the school to investigate the matter. We want to establish why the school is underutilised," said Mr Hussein.
Kirinyaga County TSC Director Isabella Iregi also said investigations had been launched over the matter.
"I'm waiting for the report of the investigations. When I receive a report we shall be able to know what is happening," said Ms Iregi.
