- He said he has initiated steps to ensure all these institutions get valid ownership documents and are fenced off to ward off encroachers.
- He was speaking during a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of the dormitories at Ruiru Boys Secondary School.
Image: JOHN KAMAU
Only three out of 40 public secondary and primary schools in Ruiru constituency, Kiambu county, have title deeds for their land parcels.
Area MP Simon King’ara said Ruiru Boys High School is one of the learning institutions which is under threat of being hived off by land cartels as it doesn’t have a title deed.
He said he has initiated steps to ensure all these institutions get valid ownership documents and are fenced off to ward off encroachers.
“I have tabled a motion which is in its second reading in the National Assembly in a bid to make it a law that all public institutions get land titles,” King’ara said.
He was speaking during a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of the dormitories at Ruiru Boys Secondary School, which the government plans to convert into a boarding facility to counter the threat of drugs and improve its academic performance.
The legislator said, besides combating the threat of drugs, the boarding facilities will provide a conducive learning environment for the students and help improve on their performance.
School management officials said there is a threat of drugs being peddled in the learning institution, one of the oldest day schools in the county.
Located in the centre of Ruiru town, the school has had cases of drugs being sneaked in by dealers through some of the students as they commute from home, according to the administration.
Consequently, the government has set aside Sh12 million to construct two boarding blocks in the first phase of the project that is expected to be ready in January next year and will initially accommodate 150 students, out of the current population of 650.
King’ara said so far only Ruiru Girls Secondary, also located in the town, has boarding facilities in the entire constituency.
“Because of its location right in the centre of town and being a day school, the school management has been facing challenges of warding off drug traffickers out to achieve their goals using the boys," he said.
His sentiments were backed by the school principal James Kibe who said there were some cases of drugs and theft which were reported to the police.
Kibe said that construction of a fence will protect the school land from unscrupulous grabbers and aid in preventing theft of school facilities as well as sneaking of drugs and narcotics into the school.
“Thieves have been breaking into the school and stealing desks and later selling them as scrap metals. We have incurred huge losses because of these criminal acts. We are pleading to the government to consider installing a wall to boost security and improve learning conditions for our students,” the principal said.