Pupils of Mwea Brethren primary school in Kirinyaga County were Monday morning shocked to find their classrooms occupied by chickens.
The cash-strapped school owner converted the school into a chicken farm after the government closed all learning institutions in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pupils arrived in the morning ready to learn but were met by thousands of chickens, which are being reared by the school management to generate some income to pay debts.
Nonetheless, the management had to move some of the birds for learning to proceed.
“We had to remove some of the chickens from one of the classrooms to accommodate the Grade Four children who were the first to arrive in school to resume learning,” the school manager, Beatrice Maina said.
Ms Maina said it was unfortunate that the government ordered the resumption of learning before her chickens could mature for sale.
She stressed that the school faces challenges of space but the pupils have to bear with the situation.
They have to mature and be sold
“It will take time to phase out the chickens because they have to mature and be sold,” she explained.
She reiterated that she and her husband had to embark on poultry farming to eke out a living and raise money to clear a Sh500,000 bank loan.
She revealed that they even had to sell one of their vehicles to start chicken farming.
“We had to think of another way to make money so that we don’t suffer,” Ms Maina added.
She reiterated that pupils will not be turned away but insisted they have to co-exist with the birds, unless the government comes up with another solution for the institution.
“We can have another site for the children but we have no money to construct more classes. If the government avails funds, then we are willing to make the pupils comfortable,” she said.
Despite the challenges, the pupils arrived wearing masks as directed by the Education Ministry to protect themselves from the deadly coronavirus.
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