Envoy rejects bid to upgrade Kamusinga, Lugulu into national schools

Written by Daniel Saenyi

Kenya's Ambassador to Canada Simon Nabukwess. 

Uplifting of selected schools into national schools in every province continues elicit diverse reactions from leaders in western Kenya as they fear missing on admission chances should the quota system be used.

The Quota system provides for 65 per cent chance for locals in the area to be accepted to the provincial schools but if they are upgraded, the locals will get lower chance of about 15 per cent.

In Western province, Lugulu and Kamusinga boys are among the proposed schools for the upgrade, however, the Kenyan Ambassador to Canada Mr. Simon Nabukwess is against the proposed move.

Mr. Nabukwess said that Kamusinga is among the top schools in the country even though it is a provincial school.

He said it portrays the capabilities of local students in the country because it carries the majority of Western students according to the Quota system.

 “If Kamusinga is made a national school, many students from allover the country will be given higher chances of entry than those from within,  so our students will end up losing out on good schools.” He argued.

According to other stakeholders, the 8.4.4 system is also performing its function so it should not be scrapped off  saying in the mother countries where the system was borrowed from like Canada, the system is still functional and serving its purpose.

 If the Government wants to bring new national schools to Western province, the stakeholders reasoned, the government should build new schools instead of transforming the already established schools.

“To what value are we adding to these schools by making them national schools other than locking ourselves out with the quota system?” wondered Nabukwess.

Kenya Corporative Coffee Exporters to help Bungoma coffee farmers get a fair price Read more

Written by Saenyi Daniel Coffee farmer harvesting her berries. Photo/ Courtesy. Coffee farmers from Bungoma County have been encouraged to pull their resources for establishing a milling machine to enable as a profitable venture to their investment. The Western province Coffee Officer Mr. Nathan Makau disclosed that many farmers have been making losses from their produce as they have been exploited by middlemen at the coffee auctions. Makau said that, farmers find it hard to transport the little coffee they have across the borders so the middlemen buy it from them cheaply and sell it at exorbitant prices but giving the farmer very little. Subsequently, he said the two year old coffee corporation aims at sustaining the price of coffee and also acquiring market for farmers but letting them sell their coffee cumulatively to the outside market. He said if farmers raise money for the milling machine in Bungoma County, every farmer will therefore save 10 per cent of the amount they get from the coffee. “Having a milling machine at the locality will enable farmers to see how their coffee will be processed and how much will come out of it and not just being told someone. It will also bring employment to some of the county people mostly the farmers’ kins,” said Makau. The 2011/2012 financial budget has allocated money for coffee farming so the KPCU will be responsible for ensuring that farmers’ needs are met in terms of getting seedlings and fertilizers for their coffee. “Kenya Corporative Coffee Exporters (KCCE) will not in any way be like KPCU because KCCE only caters for the selling of coffee to the outside market while KPCU only farms coffee,” said Makau. The coffee market now is very good and farmers were urged to make use of the now good prices to acquire profits. Currently the farmers get 80per cent of the whole coffee fund and the company only gets the remaining share. The Chairman for KCCE Mr. Stanley Mushiri urged farmers to get licenses for their own security incase of any risks. He insisted that in the interest of getting economic freedom, farmers need to stop selling their coffee on individually and sell it as a union because it’s the only way the get more profits. The Chairman for Kenya Corporative Coffee Exporters (KCCE) Mr. Stanley Mushiri and the Western Province Coffee Officer Mr. Nathan Makau addressing coffee farmers at the Bungoma county Hall.  KCCE will be setting the prices for coffee to favor both the farmers and the buyers so no one will be taken advantage of. Mr. Mushiri also rebuked corruption in the corporative so as to benefit the society and any form of illegalities will lead to expulsion from the society both on farmers and employees. He also insisted on the gender equality and since the corporative is just picking up there will be implementation of the one third posts for women it the corporation.