By Christopher Omondi.
The residents of Migosi Ward in Kisumu County have raised concerns about a toilet that was built at Kondele Primary School specifically for the Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) Department. Although the toilet was completed several months ago, it has yet to be opened for use by the ECDE pupils. T
The public is challenging the County Government of Kisumu, which is responsible for ECDE as per the 2010 Constitution of Kenya and is further supported by national legislation, such as the Early Childhood Education Act, Number 3 of 2021, which provides the legal framework for county governments to administer ECDE.
However, the residents of Migosi Ward feel let down by the City Manager of Kisumu City, who had overall responsibility for the toilet project at the school. They demand answers as to why a toilet, built to address the inadequate number of facilities at the school, has not yet been opened for use, despite being completed.
“I come to this school every morning to drop off my kids at Kondele ECDE. This construction, which took the better part of late last year, is yet to be opened for our children. The toilet is actually the only one specifically designed for the younger ECDE children, while the others were made for the general student population and are too far for the younger kids to manage. We request our City Manager, Mr. Abala Wanga, to look into this project that is already complete and ensure that the toilet is ready for use as soon as possible, unless there is foul play taking shape with this project,” stated Margaret Achola.
The County Government of Kisumu has also developed specific ECDE policies intended to implement constitutional and national directives, including the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Act 2023, which has yet to be put into practice.
“The County Government of Kisumu ought to do better in terms of projects like these, as this building is already wearing out in terms of paint, windows, and door frames despite not even being in use. Our children are lacking adequate toilets at the school. We were promised better governance from our county government regarding ECDE facilities, and with the ward administrator’s office just here, we expect them to oversee this specific project on behalf of our children,” stated Ashley Achieng, a guardian.
The City Department, specifically the management, is responsible for the project and should respond to the people’s grievances to ensure effective service delivery within the ward and in Kisumu City as a whole.
