The County government of Bungoma has been urged to build a bridge along river Kuywa at Sango in East Sang’alo ward, Kanduyi constituency to make transport easy.
At 6:30 am today, West Media was at Sango along river Kuywa where students of Friends Sango Secondary School who come from across the river cross in the water while going to school.
Students who come all the way from Webuye West constituency and Kakamega County cross the river daily while going to school to get education then back home after school hours.
These students revealed how they find it hard every morning and evening crossing the river as they appealed to the county government of Bungoma to rescue them by constructing a bridge.
“I give sincere appreciation to Bungoma Governor for giving us two CECs; Roads and Infrastructure CEC and CEC for Water, Tourism Environment and Natural Resources but we are suffering as students to cross this Kuywa river while going to school, we are unable to cross so it forces fishermen to help us but we must pay before we are assisted, when we use an alternative route which is approximately 12 kilometers we arrive late in school hence miss morning remedial classes, we arrive in school exhausted and not comfortable while attending classes, we are appealing to our above mentioned CECs to combine efforts and construct a bridge along this river, we are really suffering,” stated one student.
“I come from Sitikho, therefore, I cross this river daily coming to school, since the bridge that we were using was swept by heavy water we are going through difficult time as students, sometimes you can be crossing then fall in water that means books, and the school uniform get wet. You at the end reach class minus previous day homework to present to the teacher,” said another student.
“We are complaining as students of Friends Sango Secondary School, we are going through a difficult moment before we reach at school, at times we reach this river and fail to find someone to assist us cross, we get late for school,” a student complained.
A resident who stays near river Kuywa who sacrifices to help the students cross the river stated how it is risky for these students crossing the river as he said that he thought of assisting them cross the river at a small fee as he alleged that many students of late are not reporting to school for having a huge debt which they are supposed to pay him.
“Am Grey Sindani a resident of Sango, on behalf of this community I urge Bungoma County government to rescue these children by constructing a bridge along this river, we have students who come from Bunyala in Navakholo constituency, Sitikho, Khalala in Webuye West constituency, and are more than 300. They find it tough walking in water as early as 5 am daily, remember these students are both boys and girls you can’t tell what transpires in between before they arrive at school since they wake up early so that they can arrive in school on time, they reach in school with wet uniforms, therefore, it is my appeal to our Roads and Infrastructure CEC Collins Mukhongo help these children by constructing a bridge here,” Sindani appealed.
“The construction of this bridge has been a song for some time, we wake up very early in the morning to come and help these students cross the river, students pay me and others promise to pay later but they don’t honor, I charge Kshs.50 in the morning same in the evening, in fact, I help some to cross and they promise to pay me later but you realize as they discover that the payment has accumulated they stop coming to school for fear of the debt they owe me, the school Principal at times pays me but it gets to a point I sympathize with him, therefore, I urge the students who don’t report to school because of the debt they are supposed to pay me to continue going to school since at times as a parent I choose to assist them for free,”he added.
The owner of a piece of land where the students cross the river expressed discontentment about how the students struggle crossing the river, especially during rainy seasons as she added that some end up losing their shoes and books in water, a situation she termed as unfortunate.
“Children are carried away by water though saved by divers, they go to school without books and shoes because all will have been swept by the water, we don’t live comfortably we stand along this river as we witness them cry as they helplessly watch their books and shoes carried by water, when it has rained there is no way they can cross this river. I am forced to stay with them like a week or so as we find ways to help them go back to their various homes, therefore I urge the government to intervene in this matter with immediate action,” she affirmed.
