Pupils of Muji primary school in Webuye West Constituency Bungoma East on Wednesday
protested the grabbing of a section of their land by a neighboring family.
The students said that the neighbor of the school has grabbed the land and destroyed all the ten boys’ toilets they were using for long and short calls and placed a fence.
They said that the neighbor had threatened to cut with pangas any student found at the piece of land and using the toilets and asked them to use paper bags to relieve themselves and go dispose at home in the evening.
The over one thousands students from class one to class eight walked over ten kilometers to the Bungoma East sub county education director to express their complain.
“We are having a big problem reliving ourselves since our neighbor destroyed our toilets after grabbing our land and told as if your school can not built toilets go relieve yourselves in paper bags and carry home,’’ said Geoffrey Wafula a class eight.
The pupils of the school that started in 1918 chanted songs while carrying placards demanding justice to be done to have their grabbed land back.
“We don’t know what to do because we are human beings who need to relieve ourselves and our neighbor has sworn to cut as into pieces with a panga if we dare use those toilets so we want the relevant authorities to intervene and help as,’’ said Wafula.
The students however did not find the education director Immaculate Opare in her office as she had left to Nairobi for official duties and had to be addressed by the sub county commissioner Khalif Abdlatif.
Khalif asked them to be calm and promised them that the relevant authorities will pick up the matter and ensure an amicable solution is achieved as soon as possible.
Bungoma east Kenya National Union of Teacher’s secretary general Aggrey Namisi said that the school risks spread of cholera if the students continue to use school fence to relieve themselves due to fear of being attacked by the neighbors.
“In the Luhya community its very bad to grab a piece of land that belongs to schools, churches or any public property it can bring bad omen to your family that the grabbed land can only remain with graves,’’ he said.
He urged the neighbors to come to agreement with the school to ensure a good solution is achieved.
“This school is very old it was stated by the colonial government and I know those fighting for this land are grandchildren who don’t know the history of this boundary and am advising them to keep off because it can wipe them out completely,’’ he said.
The family refused to speak to the press when we reached them for comment.