Gov't affirms Gatoto Primary is a public school after violent disruption

Government officials have assured parents and students of Gatoto Primary School in Mukuru kwa Reuben that the institution remains a public school.

A meeting held on Tuesday drew local administrators and the local community a few days after an attack on the school by goons, during which the head teacher and his colleagues were assaulted.

Parents of over 1,000 pupils in the institution arrived to get reaffirmation of the safety of their children and teachers.

A violent power struggle is threatening the future of the children in Nairobi’s Mukuru kwa Reuben informal settlement.

On January 2, a routine staff meeting was disrupted by a group of men who forcibly stormed the school compound.

Teachers say they were physically removed from the staffroom, leaving them shaken and fearful of returning to work.

It is the subject of a long-running dispute over who controls the land on which the school stands and who has the authority to manage the institution.

While the school currently operates under the Ministry of Education, rival groups have laid claim to its ownership, insisting it remains a community-based institution under a private NGO.

Robinson Kombo, the parents’ association chair at Gatoto Primary, pointed out: "They are claiming they started this school 31 years ago. The person who is claiming he started this school 30 years ago, he’s 35, 36 years…now being the owner of that school. So tunajiuliza huyu mutu alianza 6 years si alikuwa mwerevu sana? So that’s where our problem is."

Local leaders are calling for urgent intervention. Parents, meanwhile, convened to find a solution for their children.

Eric Wamulevu, Deputy Commissioner, Embakasi, said: "From records and government offices the school belongs to the public already. The Ministry of Education has deployed 29 TSC teachers to the school and the school has been running smoothly, but a private NGO has obtained court orders that we restore the school back to the CBO."

"Walistaki Gatoto Community Primary School ambayo haina documents yoyote katika Kenya hii. Hata ukienda kwa computer zote, it’s non-existent. Wakiambiwa walete certificate ya registration, wanapeleka ile ya Gatoto Community Integrated, Ministry inawaambia hapana, hii ni public school," Kombo added.

Government officials say the institution's title deed is in the custody of the Principal Secretary, Treasury, which further affirms its public status.

"Watu wa Governor walikuwa na wazazi wote walikuwa kwa hivyo mi sijaona ikiwa mbaya," Mary Muthoni, a parent, noted.

"Sababu ya hawa majamaa kuja kushikilia hii land, wao wanapata donors kutoka Australia, wanapata milioni kumi na mbili, mahali moja, hiyo ingine milioni tisa kulingana vile wameframe statement yao, so wanataka washikilie hii shule ndio waendelee kupata hizo pesa," Embakasi South MP Julius Mawathe said.

Locals and the area MP have teamed up in a bid to keep off what they view as unwanted intruders.