By James Murimi - Reporter
Kenya , August 6, 2026 - A decades-long chapter of neglect at Nyaribo Primary School in Nyeri County is set to end after the launch of a Sh52 million facelift that will transform the institution into a modern learning centre.
East African Community Principal Secretary Dr Caroline Karugu on Thursday presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the project, saying the investment would give hundreds of learners access to quality education and prepare them for global competitiveness.
The upgrade comprises a Sh50 million grant from the M-Pesa Foundation and a Sh2 million Junior Secondary School science laboratory funded by the Ministry of Education.
"We are here doing the groundbreaking for the upgrade of Nyaribo Primary School, an institution that has been marginalised for many years in terms of infrastructural development," said Dr Karugu.
The PS, who was born and raised in Nyaribo village, said the project was the result of a joint effort between the National Government and the M-Pesa Foundation to transform the learning institution.
"On my behalf and that of the people of Nyaribo village, I want to thank the M-Pesa Foundation for the generous donation of Sh50 million and the Ministry of Education for providing a Sh2 million laboratory for the Junior Secondary section," she said.
Under the project, the old classrooms have been demolished to pave the way for four modern classrooms, a fully equipped science laboratory, a computer laboratory and a new Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centre.
Karugu described the existing facilities as "a structure of shame" and said the new infrastructure would end years of learners studying science without practical lessons.
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"These children have been learning imaginary science because they don't have a science laboratory. They have been imagining what computers are and what they look like. With these projects, they will now experience practical learning," she said.
She argued that investing in education remains the surest path to achieving Kenya's long-term development ambitions under Vision 2060.
"If we are to move from a third-world country to a first-world country, then the investment we put in education will be the springboard to that success. Education transforms lives and impacts generations to come," she said.
Karugu also credited former Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok, now the Principal Secretary for Immigration Services, for supporting efforts to secure the project.
"I have walked this journey with former Basic Education PS Julius Bitok, who greatly assisted me in pushing for this project, and I am happy he is here to witness its success," she said.
The event was also attended by Cooperatives Principal Secretary Patrick Kilemi, Public Works Principal Secretary Joel Arumonyang and other national and county leaders.