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Kenya Secondary Schools Heads of Association (KSSHA) has warned that some institutions could be uninhabitable when learning resumes due to a myriad of emerging challenges. 

The association noted that due to failure by the government to release the capitation funds, schools had been forced to send all the support staff home.

Some institutions  are also to discard their income generating projects such as livestock rearing because they cannot meet the cost of running them.

Already, several schools in Nakuru have advertised the sale of their livestock including dairy cattle and pigs because they do not have funds to pay the supporting stock. 

This came as details emerged that security firms manning learning institutions had started to pull out due to lack of payment, putting to risk property worth millions of shillings.

According to Nakuru KSSHA branch chair Fredrick Mbuthia, the challenges facing the schools were rising by the day.

He noted that since the Coronavirus pandemic was reported and schools closed, the government had not released any supporting funds. 

Statutory deductions

“Some schools which have had income generating projects have been forced to sell the assets as they are no longer viable during this period,” he said.

He added that over 10,000 Board of Management (BoM) teachers and supporting staff had not been paid, further worsening the situation.  

Mbuthia added that when schools reopened, they would be faced with pending bills worth millions of shillings due to the pandemic.

“Due to lack of funds, we cannot pay the statutory deductions. Consequently,  meaning  we will have to pay a fine while paying for security services is a major problem,” he said.

The chairman called for urgent support from the State noting that if no action were taken, schools could be uninhabitable when reopened.

“Currently schools are covered by bushes and electricity supply has been disconnected due to non-payment putting to risk property worth millions of shillings,” he said.  

The Stega Security Services, Managing Director, Eskimos Kobia admitted that they had gone for months without pay despite offering security services to schools.

He said his company had offered to guard school properties for the first two months but he can no longer sustain it. 

“We understand that schools have not received funding from the government due to the current Covid-19 crisis, however, we have no option but to pull out,” he said.

Kobia noted that their services seem to have been in the fight against the deadly coronavirus.