As schools reopened this January, a quiet sense of excitement and renewed confidence swept through a learning institution tucked deep within the informal settlement of Nyalenda in Kisumu County.
Pupils who once walked into class with downcast eyes streamed through the school gates beaming, their spirits lifted by a simple yet profound change that has breathed new life into their school.
For more than six decades, the name Pand Pieri Primary School had been a source of mockery and discomfort. That chapter has now been firmly closed.
In its place stands St Mary’s Nyalenda School EYE, Primary and Junior School (Integrated), boldly inscribed on the school walls and gates - a name that signals not just rebranding but a rebirth.
The main entrance at St Mary's Nyalenda School Eye, Primary and Junior School (Integrated). The school was previously known as Pand Pieri Primary School.
Photo credit: Rushdie Oudia | Nation Media Group
The change was accompanied by a complete transformation of the school uniform, marking the end of a painful legacy and the beginning of a hopeful new era for an institution that has long served as the educational backbone of the Nyalenda slums community.
The uniform has shifted from beige and green to navy blue and sky blue for the junior school, colours that now mirror the renewed pride of its learners.
In the local Dholuo language, “Pand Pieri ” loosely translates to “hide your buttocks” - a phrase that clung cruelly to generations of pupils.
For over 60 years, the name exposed learners to ridicule, eroded their self-esteem and, many believe, contributed to persistent poor academic performance. Yet the origin of the name is layered and carried through time in several telling versions.
Long before the arrival of modern clothing, the Luo people wore garments fashioned from animal hides, known as ‘Omethe ’. These hides were modest in size and practical in purpose, designed to cover only one intimate part of the body at a time.
When approaching others from the front, a man would draw the Omethe forward to shield his genitals. After passing them, he would pull it backwards to cover his buttocks.
Trouble arose, however, when people approached from opposite directions at once. In such moments, some resorted to using their hands to conceal their behinds, a gesture that is said to have given rise to the phrase pand pieri .
Another account traces the name to the school’s early days when pupils often arrived in class wearing tattered shorts. Ashamed and exposed, they would cup their palms over their backsides as they walked, hiding what poverty had left bare.
In both tales, the name endures, born of necessity, shaped by circumstance and carried forward by memory.
But for Head Teacher Alex Diang’a, the days of children walking with hunched shoulders and self-conscious glances are finally over.
With the Ministry of Education officially approving the new name and issuing a certificate dated October 3, 2025, Mr Diang’a says the school has at last cast off a burden that weighed heavily on its pupils, opening a pathway to dignity and confidence.
The name Pandpieri traces its origins to the precolonial era and is closely linked to the Kasagam clan, the original inhabitants of the area now known as Nyalenda B.
Before Kisumu Town expanded, the settlement was home to railway labourers brought in to construct the line to the lakeside city. Over time, other Luo clans migrated into the area from Gem and Uyoma. Intermarriages followed, but tensions arose, with locals often derisively referring to the newcomers as “Pandpieri”.
Former Seychelles President Danny Faure when he toured the special education classes at Pand Pieri Primary School in Kisumu on May 18, 2022. The school has been renamed St Mary's Nyalenda School Eye, Primary and Junior School.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
At the time, basic sanitation facilities did not exist. What is today the Ring Road, was then a narrow footpath stretching towards Kajulu and Lake Victoria.
“Whenever the ‘foreigners’ went for a long call along plots near the road, the locals would shout ‘Pandpieri’, warning them to hide their buttocks. That is how the name stuck, even after the Kasagam people later moved towards Nam Thoi,” Mr Diang’a explains.
Ironically, when floods displaced the Kasagam community in the 1960s and they eventually returned, they found the area densely populated. To assert their identity as the original inhabitants, they adopted the very name that had once been used as an insult.
Later attempts to soften the name, including rebranding it as PND Pier, inspired by the colonial pier where British metal ships docked - never fully gained acceptance.
The Church occupied the land while also accommodating the Anglican Church of Kenya, paving the way for the Kisumu Urban Apostolate Programme (KUAP). Founded by Mill Hill missionary Fr Hans Burgman alongside local leaders, KUAP-Pandpieri went on to empower vulnerable communities through integrated, community-led development in health, education and life skills, eventually evolving into a faith-based NGO addressing urban poverty.
Changing the school's name
Pandpieri Primary School was established in 1957 after ACK’s Kisumu Union School became overcrowded.
“Bishop Festus Olang, who led South Kavirondo and was a son of the Kasagam clan, later persuaded his people to allow children from Kisumu Union to be transferred to Pandpieri, leading to the school’s establishment in 1957,” Mr Diang’a says.
The school grew into an institution serving children from modest backgrounds, a role it has maintained for decades. Changing the name, however, was neither swift nor simple.
The process began in 2024 and involved extensive community sensitisation, consultations with elders, parents and pupils and deliberate efforts to explain why the change mattered.
“The decision was made by the Board of Management, which felt that transforming the mindset of parents and pupils was critical. We wanted them to see that this is a good school in a cosmopolitan area that should accommodate everyone. Classroom assessments showed clearly that pupils were uncomfortable with the old name” Mr Diang’a says.
He adds that the stigma associated with Pandpieri had contributed to the mushrooming of private schools in the area, as parents sought alternatives.
“Some teachers also began shunning the school, embarrassed to mention their workplace,” he says.
The renaming process only began in earnest after improvements were made to the school’s infrastructure. According to a document seen by the Daily Nation, elders of the Kasagam clan formally acknowledged the need for change.
“As Kasagam elders, it is our considered opinion that the name Pandpieri carries sufficient obscenity to stigmatise its people. We concur with any proposal to change the name, preferably in honour of the founder, the late Festus Olang. We rest our case,” the report reads.
The document was signed by Pharez Omondi, Kasagam paramount elder; Shem Oginga, Chair of the Kasagam Clan; and Ogunga Oketch of the Kolwa Development Association.
A public participation forum held on October 30, 2024 brought together community members, education stakeholders, parents, local administrators, teachers and alumni.
Former Seychelles President Danny Faure speaks to pupils at Pand Pieri Primary School in Kisumu on May 18, 2022. The school has been renamed St Mary's Nyalenda School Eye, Primary and Junior School.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Several names were proposed, including Nyalenda Elites ECDE Primary and JSS School - rejected for being elitist - and Nyalenda ECDE, Primary and JSS School. Another proposal, St Mary’s ACK ECDE, Primary and JSS, was strongly opposed by elders.
The board eventually settled on St Mary’s Nyalenda, retaining Anglican Church representation through St Mary’s while dropping ACK from the name.
“The matter went through the County Education Board and was forwarded to the county and regional education offices. We are now updating records with the Ministry of Education, the Kenya National Examinations Council and the Teachers Service Commission, as well as our partners,” Mr Diang’a says.
He hopes the process will be completed within the first quarter of the year, noting that pupils who already hold certificates will retain the name Pand Pieri Primary School.
The change has been warmly welcomed by many in the community. Michael Owira, a boda boda operator stationed outside the school, says the decision followed extensive consultations.
“The head teacher involved parents, the board, locals and education stakeholders. He felt the old name was not inspiring pupils to perform better, and now we are happy with the changes,” Mr Owira says.
But not everyone agrees. Raphael Onis, an alumnus of the school now living in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, is strongly opposed.
“Pandpieri is the true identity of the school. My mother studied here, so we have a deep connection to both the institution and the name. They should have focused on infrastructure and performance, not erasing history,” Mr Onis says.
Former Nyalenda B ward MCA Joseph Olale echoes similar sentiments, calling Pandpieri an iconic name.
“I am against this change because it erases our identity. I will mobilise the community through barazas and seek legal redress to stop it,” Mr Olale says, adding that the issue will feature prominently in future campaigns.
Mr Diang’a, however, insists the school is firmly on the right path. Over the four years he has led the institution, academic performance has steadily improved.
The school posted a mean score of 229.49 in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examinations in 2020, rising to 262.64 in 2021, 282.55 in 2022 and 277.22 in 2023.
Today, the school ranks among the top 10 in Kisumu Central Sub-county and has produced top-performing candidates in national examinations.
