The government will spend over 37 million shillings to furnish public schools in Siaya, area county commissioner Michael ole Tialal has said.
Tialal said that the money will be spent to supply a total of 204 schools with desks and chairs, adding that the furniture will be sourced from local workshops.
He was speaking on Wednesday at the IEBC Hall in Siaya during the sensitization meeting of both the county and sub-counties implementation committees.
Of the amount, he said, Sh 15,750,000 will be used to purchase 6,300 desks and chairs for 90 primary schools while Sh 21,660,000 will be used to furnish 114 secondary schools.
The county commissioner said that the programme, to be implemented through the ministry of education, was initiated by President Uhuru Kenyatta to cushion parents and schools from the effects of Coronavirus and was expected to stimulate the economy of the rural areas.
“The programme will relieve parents who have, in the past, been forced to dig into their pockets to provide desks and chairs for their children in schools,” he said.
Tialal said there will be fairness in the identification of both the workshops to make the desks and the schools to benefit, in line with the criteria stipulated by the government.
“We shall be fair to ensure that workshops in every ward are picked to make the desks,” he said, adding that this will make the money to trickle down to the villages hence stimulating local economy.
The commissioner said corruption will not be entertained in the execution of the programme, adding that workshops that will be contracted to make the furniture will be expected to adhere to the specifications.
“As government officers, we shall not entertain shortcuts or shoddy work. The workshops will be given samples and specifications and they have to ensure that they deliver quality work,” he said.
The meeting which was attended by all deputy county commissioners and the county director of education, Joseph Wamocho was told that each sub county had been allocated 1,050 desks for primary schools.
In secondary schools’ section, 15 schools in each sub-county will get between 850 to 1,000 desks.
