Saturday, October 10, 2020 – School heads have questioned a Presidential Directive issued to them through the Ministry of Education, arguing that it was outrageous and out to exploit institutions.
Uhuru directed all Government parastatals, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and public schools to purchase rice from the Kenya National Trading Corporation.
This was aligned with his Buy Kenya Build Kenya project with the government seeking to offload extra rice from West Kano and Mwea plantations.
However, school heads lamented that the prices listed in the Thursday circular were too expensive, especially at a time when parents and teachers are expected to foot extra costs in schools.
They questioned the motive behind the Buy Kenya Build Kenya initiative arguing that they still contributed to the economy by purchasing foods through local suppliers.
In Nairobi, schools used to buy rice at a market price ranging from Ksh5,200 to Ksh6,000 for a 50-kilogram bag.
The memo issued dictated that they will purchase it at between Ksh8,000 and Ksh8,250.
1 kilogram of rice will trade at between Ksh105 and Ksh160 depending on the quality of rice.
Parents and teachers were directed to facilitate the purchasing of masks for students, additional lockers, upgrade of classrooms and to seek donors to raise funds for development.
The Government disclosed that it was unable to foot all bills on its own and sharing the burden was the only way forward.
However, the CS Magoha-led Ministry assured parents that no student will be sent back home over school fees arrears.
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