Shadrack Nyakoe
A charity organisation has announced plans to construct a Grade 9 classroom at a school in Mukuru Kwa Njenga informal settlement, Nairobi, at a cost of Sh500,000, in an effort to support vulnerable learners.
The initiative seeks to address infrastructure gaps facing community schools implementing Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The announcement was made on December 8 during a tree-lighting event organised by Lazizi Welfare Foundation in Nairobi, which was attended by pupils from Nifikie Christian School.
Under the CBC system, learners are required to transition to junior secondary school after Grade 8. However, many schools in informal settlements lack the facilities required to support this transition, leaving learners vulnerable to disruption or dropout.
Lazizi Welfare Foundation Project Manager Steve Raburu said the planned classroom, estimated to cost Sh500,000, will enable learners to continue their education within their community.
“Without junior secondary facilities, many children are forced to leave familiar learning environments or drop out altogether,” Raburu said. “This classroom will ensure that learners from this school can transition to Grade 9 without interruption.”
The proposed facility is expected to serve 33 learners, with capacity to accommodate future cohorts.
Nifikie Christian School Director Stacy Kefuka said inadequate infrastructure remains one of the biggest challenges for low-income schools implementing CBC.
“The CBC has increased pressure on small community schools that were not originally designed to host junior secondary,” Kefuka said. “Support from partners is critical to ensure children do not lose access to education simply because of where they live.”
She added that the school serves more than 300 learners and relies on partnerships to sustain feeding programmes and access to learning materials.
The tree-lighting event marked the end of the school term and provided pupils with a rare opportunity to participate in an off-campus activity. Organisers said the event was designed to expose learners to experiences beyond their immediate environment.
Lazizi Welfare Foundation has been operational for two years and runs programmes in education, healthcare, and community development across different parts of the country.
