A new girl’s secondary school is to be constructed in Kisumu Central constituency for Ksh70 million to meet the growing need for girl child education in the area.

The school to be built at Kisumu Union Primary School grounds follows public demand for a girls’ day school to complement the existing girls’ secondary school in the city.

According to Kisumu Central MP Dr Joshua Oron, they have already tendered for the construction of the new girl’s school and work is to start any time soon.

“We have fourteen secondary schools within Kisumu city. But of the number, only two are for girls, which are not able to accommodate the growing demand for girls’ education,” said the MP.

The two girls’ schools are Kisumu Girls National School and St Theresa Girls’ secondary school.

However given that Kisumu Girls is a national school, those who cannot make the grade opt for St Theresa’s.

 “This has been exerting a lot of pressure on the girls school, prompting the need to build another girls’ school.

The MP disclosed that they have set aside Sh12 million for the first phase of the project.

The project is to start within the next three weeks upon completion of the tendering process which is going on.

Oron was speaking at the NG-CDF offices where he distributed over Sh15 million for 1,767 bright and needy students in the constituency. Oron said educated girls and boys are more likely to earn higher incomes, contribute to their families’ economic well-being and break intergenerational poverty.

He also disclosed that plans are afoot to build a new boy’s secondary school in Kanyakwar village for Ksh13 million.

“We will build 6 classrooms, an administration block, a science laboratory and a dining hall,” said Oron.

The Kisumu County government is mulling over relocating Kisumu Girls and Boys schools from the city centre to the outskirts of the lakeside city.

Debate over the relocation of the schools from the city centre has been ongoing since last year.

Governor Anyang Nyong’o revived the debate while saying that the current location of the two institutions did not align with the plan to make the lakeside city a commercial hub.

He added that the schools sit on prime land within the Central Business District but do not bring any economic value to the development of the city.