A public school in Eldoret linked to the family of legendary athlete Kipchoge Keino is embroiled in controversy over plans to privatize it.
Kipkeino Primary School, located in Turbo subcounty, Uasin Gishu, is regarded as one of the region’s top institutions, operating as a public school under the Ministry of Education. Recently, the ministry received an application to change the school’s status from public to private and subsequently issued a notice seeking public feedback on this proposal.
Parents and the local community are strongly opposing the move, which they describe as an attempt to “grab” the institution they helped build by paying fees ranging from Sh100,000 to Sh160,000 over the years. The ministry has urged anyone with concerns to voice their opinions within two weeks.
“Those with concerns have 14 days from the date of the public notice to submit their input either in writing to the school administrator or via email,” the notice stated.
The announcement has fueled anger among parents, who vow to resist the privatization. Some parents have accused the Keino family of treating the school as a private property despite it receiving funding and resources intended for public schools.
According to ministry records, the school was registered as a public institution on January 3, 2001. One parent remarked, “We have been paying fees under the assumption it’s a public school, and it’s unacceptable for someone to suddenly privatize it after all we’ve invested.”
Parents also claim that senior education officials from both the national and county levels are ignoring the situation, even after multiple letters of concern were sent to the ministry.
To assert their claim of the school’s public status, some parents pointed out that former president Daniel Moi donated 200 acres of land for the school in the 1980s.
A recent meeting called by the school management to discuss the ownership change ended in disruption as most parents walked out in protest.
The Keino family contends that the school has never been a public institution, despite receiving public funding for textbooks. They claim to have documents proving that the school was registered as a private entity after the family acquired land for it in 1987. They clarify that the land in question is 30 acres, not the 200 acres cited by some parents.
The family maintains that they received approval from the local education office to establish the school as part of a charity known as Kipkeino Children’s Home, which has since rebranded.
Andrew Kiptoo, a family member and school board member, explained that they pooled resources to create the school, aiming to provide quality education to vulnerable children and the local community.
He noted that upon registration, the government assigned teachers to both public schools and charitable organizations, enabling the school to receive government educators.
They later chose to re-register as a public school to facilitate the deployment of TSC teachers but ultimately decided to go private to allow the family to manage the school independently.
Community leader Noah Arap Singoei has voiced strong opposition to the privatization efforts. “This is simply a plan to seize the school, and we will not accept it,” he stated.
Uasin Gishu County Education Director John Thiringi confirmed that discussions about the school’s privatization have been ongoing since 2014. “The privatization process is allowed by law,” Thiringi stated.
