Turkana county – NW corner of Kenya (shaded light purple)
Geographic area that the school will serve
Nakwamekwi High is located in Nakwamekwi Village near Lodwar, Turkana County, Kenya. The school will serve the area of Turkana County first and foremost, but will be open to all students from across the country of Kenya.
Turkana is the largest county within Kenya and lies in the north western part of the country, covering an area of 77,000 square km with a population of more than half a million people. The county borders Marsibit and Samburu in the east, Baringo and West Pokot in the south and in the north shares international boundaries with Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda.
Target student population
Students from Turkana who have achieved a score of at least 250 out of 500 on the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) will be NHS’ target population. Moreover, students who reside in Turkana Central, in and around Lodwar town, will be the school’s primary target.
The education challenge
There are three types of secondary schools in Kenya: private schools, government schools, and harambee[1] schools. Most government schools are boarding schools and more selective; only 1 in 4 students are accepted based on their score in the KCPE. Students who score lower on the KCPE attend harambee schools, which account for 75% of secondary schools in the country.
Turkana county has 197 primary schools and 352 Nursery schools with a total population of 122,331 students. According to the Ministry of Education, only 44% of school-going children are in primary school while 56% who are of school-going age are out of school. There are only 8 secondary schools and one polytechnic in the county. The secondary school enrollment stands at 6,581, amounting to only 5% of students continuing to secondary school!
| Table 1. Enrollment rates by gender[2] | |||
| Enrollment | Boys | Girls | Total |
| Nursery | 30,297 | 28,037 | 58,334 |
| Primary | 35,679 | 28,318 | 63,997 |
| Secondary | 4,760 | 1,831 | 6,582 |
| Total | 70,736 | 58,176 | 128,912 |
These figures clearly indicate the need for more secondary schools in Turkana. Given the high dropout rates in day schools, there is added value in offering a boarding education.
As a private school, NHS has the ability to offer a tailored education program with a lower student to teacher ratio and high educational standards. At NHS, the teachers will be accountable to the parents, the schools’ management and the students and the school directors will ensure effective and efficient management of the school. Kenyans place great emphasis on the value of education and people are trying to create a better future. They know that education is the key and so parents/students take the opportunity for schooling seriously.
[1] In Swahili, harambee literally means “pulling together”. In response to the demand for secondary education throughout the country, some local communities initiated harambeeschools to educate their local communities.
[2] Murekefu, W., Mbiuki. A, and Mbolu, K. (2009). Turkana District Long Rains Assessment Report, 13-17th July, 2009. Retrieved 13 January, 2010 from: http://www.kenyafoodsecurity.org/ longrains08/district_reports/turkana.pdf