MR GOVERNOR, BUILD YOUR NAME BY BUILDING THIS SCHOOL

Dear Sir,

Jambo Bwana Governor! By all objective measures, I hold that you understand the enormity of your job and believe you are equally prepared to level the ground and impact positively on the soul, body and spirit of the people of Turkana County. For this, I commend you and your team.

I have gone through many of your government's reports; I have conversed with a number of your people and many more out there. A verdict of "Yes, there is a will!" is evident in their talks. They are hopeful to the core.

However, there is a segment of your people that can't speak for themselves - but want to speak (anyway!). They are many. They are what many of us would describe as the "the industry of tomorrow. A foundation over which future development is anchored." These are the 'school-less' children from the remote pockets of your county.

They radiate hope. Their resilience and reasoning can touch even the hardest of hearts of Men. It is at the backdrop of this that in the name of the many 'school-less' children of Turkana, write to you - as a person and a leader - to spare a fraction of your busy schedule to address the plight of these children.

Allow me to take you through the life of Kootoro Mixed Primary School. The school, according to information at my disposal, is located in Nakabosan-Nakaalei corridor of Kalapata Sub-location in Kalapata Ward in Turkana South Sub-county. 

The school enrollment as at january 2014 stood at:  Primary school: Boys-153, Girls-112; Nursery school:  Boys-115, Girls-98; Grand total 478 with only one T.S.C teacher (who also doubles as the school's headteacher), three volunteer teachers, a cook and a security guard.

Classes 4 and 5 learn under temporary structures. The rest find refuge under trees. Learning materials still remain a distant dream for this community of learners.

The question thus shoots: do these children deserve to learn under this condition? 

I'm alive to the fact that the role of rewriting histories rests not in empty declarations but concrete follow-ups geared at empowering the dis-empowered and educating the uneducated. We are the generation that must rewrite this history. The future of these children - and many more across Turkana's forgotten plains - depends on our present undertakings.

Mr Governor, do something to these kids. Build your name by building this school. 

Lemukol Ng'asike is an Architect. E-mail:  lemoseh89@gmail.com.  Twitter:  @mlemukol.