13 public schools across Nairobi are benefitting from new ICT and sanitation facilities installed by Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), marking the first phase of a broader initiative to strengthen learning conditions in 55 public schools serving more than 100,000 learners in urban informal settlements across Kenya.
SHOFCO and the Ministry of Education launched the new ICT lab at Salama Primary School, and unveiled a new sanitation block at Huruma Primary, where 2,700 learners had been sharing inadequate toilet facilities.
“Our own schools in Kibera and Mathare showed us what’s possible. That children from the neediest backgrounds are just as able to excel academically with the right support. SHOFCO is now partnering with the government to raise the bar in the public schools that our community members already send their children to,” said SHOFCO CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede.
He added: “We want every child to be learning, safe, and healthy, with well-supported teachers and parents engaged in education.”
The intervention responds to systemic gaps in public education. A recent report by Usawa Agenda and Zizi Afrique Foundation found that only 21 per cent of teachers in public junior schools are trained in STEM subjects, while 35 per cent of schools lack a STEM teacher altogether. Nearly half of learners lack access to STEM lab facilities.
On sanitation, an average of 66 boys and 62 girls share a single washroom, more than double the Ministry of Education’s recommended standard.
The new facilities have significantly improved sanitation access. At Huruma Primary, the pupil-to-toilet ratio for girls has dropped from 1:99 to 1:68, and for boys from 1:83 to 1:58.
At Salama Primary School, the intervention has similarly lowered the ratio from 1:86 to 1:65 for girls and from 1:112 to 1:84 for boys.
Alongside infrastructure, SHOFCO has been training teachers and coaching school leaders as part of the programme.
“Many institutions lack computer laboratories, yet ICT is now a critical component under CBE. SHOFCO’s intervention is both timely and impactful,” said Dr. Emmanuel Munyasa, Executive Director of Usawa Agenda.
Florence, Deputy Director at the State Department for Basic Education, said the government welcomes partners like SHOFCO.
“A healthy learner is able to attend school regularly. I urge school heads to ensure that these facilities are well maintained,” she said.
Huruma Primary School Headteacher Beatrice Njoroge said the laboratory would help close the gap between her students and those at better-resourced schools.
“Teachers will also benefit from powerful tools to enhance teaching and learning,” she said.
Odede said the organisation aligns its initiatives with government priorities.
“Our kids cannot go to school if they don’t have clean and safe toilets. Since last year, we have been working with public schools because these things are essential for our children. Shofco doesn’t come to do the work of governments or public schools, no, we work with the government priorities,” he said.
SHOFCO currently runs two schools in Kibera and Mathare, serving over 600 students, models that are now informing its partnership with government to improve learning conditions at scale across Kenya’s public education system.
