Kiambu County’s initiatives to enhance the enrollment and retention of children in early childhood education programs have received a significant boost through the establishment of 130 new Early Childhood Development (ECDE) centres.
The groundbreaking ceremony for this endeavor was led by Governor Kimani Wamatangi at Kasarini Primary School in Kiambu Sub County.
These newly planned centers will feature twin classrooms for PP1 and PP2 levels, along with an office space, ablution facilities, and a dedicated play area for the children.
Governor Wamatangi stated, “Today marks the commencement of phase one of this project, which involves the construction of around 130 ECDE centers at a total cost of 400 million Kenyan Shillings. Each center is estimated to require about 3.5 million Kenyan Shillings.”
He went on to mention that the entire project will span three financial years to cover all 524 ECDE centers across the county. Highlighting the critical role of ECDE centers in early education, he stressed the importance of providing proper infrastructure to retain students in these foundational learning environments.
Governor Wamatangi also highlighted the simultaneous progress of the County’s feeding program for ECDEs. This initiative ensures that children receive a daily serving of nutritious porridge along with three eggs per week in all public ECDE centers.
“We’re implementing measures to ensure the sustainability of these ECDE programs even after our tenure is over. This has been incorporated into the pending ECDE bill, awaiting approval by the County Assembly members,” Wamatangi emphasized.
Wilfred Mwenda, the Acting Chief Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education, praised the project for its timeliness. He pointed out that the increase in enrollment, attributed to the successful feeding program introduced last term, necessitated the creation of new ECDE centers.
“As a result of the feeding program’s positive impact, there has been a substantial rise in ECDE center enrollments. We anticipate this trend to continue, underscoring the need to establish additional ECDE centers to accommodate the growing number of students,” Mwenda explained.
