Kutus hold protests over poor state of school toilets

Led by Morgan Karanja, Mercy Kariuko and Claire Wanjiru, the parents expressed outrage and fear for their children’s safety, accusing the school administration of failing to address the sanitation crisis.

Claire Wanjiru, a mother of three, recounted an incident in which an orphaned pupil under her care reportedly fell into a toilet pit and sustained injuries.

“We had been called by the headteacher over the issue of the poor state of the toilets. Yesterday, I saw where the orphan I take care of fell,” she said.

Wanjiru said parents had been summoned to an emergency meeting by the headteacher, but were instead asked to contribute Ksh 500 each to service the toilets.

The parents declined, arguing that maintenance of public schools is the government’s responsibility.

“This is government work, not ours,” they said, insisting that funds from the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NGCDF) should cater for such needs.

While acknowledging improvements made at the school under the current administration, the parents said the sanitation facilities and overall compound remain in a dire state.

“The headteacher is very hardworking and the school has improved, but the toilets and compound are in a very poor condition. Public health officers should close this school,” said Mercy Kariuko.

Wambura Ngondi echoed the sentiments, saying parents were disappointed by the condition of the facilities.

“The teacher called us for an emergency meeting, but we found the toilets in a very poor state. We disagreed with the headteacher on paying Ksh 500. It’s not our responsibility. NGCDF money is supposed to handle such issues,” she said.

The protest ended with parents storming out of the school and vowing not to contribute the requested amount, with some calling for the temporary closure of the institution until the sanitation issue is addressed.