A community in Mambrui, Kilifi County is engaged in an ownership row with a private school in the region.
At the center of it all is how the Mambrui Secondary school has turned itself into a private institution while the community claims to have been the one that started the school.
The residents claim that the secondary school was started by the community in 2003 after parents contributed Sh2,000 each for the construction of the first administration block before donors came in to construct the remaining part of the school.
The locals now claim that the institution is being run by a few individuals at the expense of the community who contributed to establishing the school.
by Ramadhan Kambi for Uzalendo News
But on the other hand, the authorities at the school have dismissed claims that the secondary school which is performing very well belongs to the community saying it is being as a private institution by people in trust.
Ahmed Abeid 54 wondered why the management of the school registered the institution as a private school despite the fact that the community contributed to the construction.
Speaking in Mamburui he said, in the beginning, the headteacher of Mambrui primary school approached tourists who were helping a school for the people living with disabilities in the area and requested them to help the community to construct a community secondary school so that students from the village could join high school without going to faraway places.
“The donor asked the headteacher to have pupils in classes seven and eight write letters to him requesting for help to set up a secondary school which they did,” he said.
He said to his understanding the school belongs to the community but they were shocked to find out that it was registered as a private school.
Abeid said the donors who help start the school were PAPA and MAMA foreigners who made it possible for the school to be built.
Apart from parents donating Sh2,000 each a local family donated the land where an administration block was built before the donor constructed classrooms.
“Where did the Sh. 2,000 shillings contributed by pupils went to and how was a community initiative turned into a private affair,” he said.
Mr. Athman Abas, 64 years old called on the government to intervene quickly and save the community from losing the school and turn it into a public secondary school.
“We started Mambrui secondary school so that the primary school could also have a secondary school adjacent to it. I ask the government to investigate the matter and return the school back to the community,” he said.
Another resident Saidi Swaleh said the community through representatives approached the school management over the matter of ownership five years ago but they were not given an ear.
“We started asking them questions five years ago but they told us they don’t know and we even went ahead and incorporated the services of lawyers but they bought every lawyer we brought,” he said.
Ms. Halima Omar, the school principal admitted that the school was indeed registered as a private school and was being run by trustees.
She however dismissed claims by the community that it is a community institution in private hands.
“No school is registered under community but it is either public or private and ours is a private school being operated by trustees. There are few people around who don’t like us and they started these issues when we started performing well in national examinations,” she said.
The Principal said the school produced the best performing candidate in this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education and topped in the entire Kilifi County.
“We produced an A- and topped Kilifi County in this year’s KCSE and those people think that we are benefiting financially and that is why they are making noise. Donors helped us construct the school,” she said.
Records from the Ministry of Education offices in Kilifi also indicated that the school is a private learning institution.
*This article was written by Ramadhan Kambi for Uzalendo News. Email: uzalendonews@gmail.com to submit your story.
