Learners at Olekasasi Primary School in Kajiado North are set to gain hands-on agricultural skills after the rehabilitation of the school’s borehole opened the way for irrigated farming.
The school has already started growing mangoes, kales, spinach and tomatoes using water from the rehabilitated borehole.
The project is expected to give learners an opportunity to practise agriculture while also supporting food and nutrition needs within the school.
Before the rehabilitation, the school relied on water vendors to meet its daily water needs, making it difficult to sustain agricultural activities.
The water shortage also affected the implementation of the 4-K Club programme under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), limiting learners’ opportunities to gain practical skills in farming.
The rehabilitated borehole is now expected to change that by providing a reliable source of water for the school’s agricultural activities.
Principal Secretary for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho commissioned the project on Thursday, September 24, saying the initiative would help link learning with practical skills.
The project is expected to benefit about 1,900 learners, while the surrounding community will also benefit from improved access to water and agricultural activities.
The State Department for Irrigation said the project will contribute to food and nutrition security while equipping learners with practical knowledge in irrigated agriculture.
The development also gives the school an opportunity to demonstrate how reliable water can support agriculture in a water-scarce area such as Kajiado.
For the learners, the farm will provide a practical classroom where they can learn how crops are planted, irrigated and managed while contributing to food production at their school.
