The chairman of the Homa Bay County Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association, Dickens Bula, has appealed to alumni of schools in Homa Bay County to actively uplift their former institutions. He stated that many schools have gigantic challenges in resource mobilization and therefore need assistance from their alumni.
Financial constraints affect all sectors in school operation, ranging from accommodation, meals, infrastructure, among others, down to other learning resources. Bula urged the alumni to mobilize resources in order to uplift the academic levels and to hold motivational talks to the current learners. Speaking during the Homa Bay High School Alumni Reunion, he noted that a good number of such former learners are successful professionals who could largely improve their former schools.
Bula lauded the alumni of Homa Bay High School for their contribution in the raising of a library and resource center worth Sh. 600 million. The old students also recently offered mentorship to students, built a modern gate, and bought a school van. As part of the meetup initiation, the alumni awarded a Sh. 500,000 bursary for bright but needy pupils to pursue their education.
Many schools have felt the impact of visiting alumni to institutions to inspire students, according to Homa Bay School Principal Vincent Mayienga. This is because sometimes, all it may take is a word of good encouragement to students for them to adjust their attitude towards learning. In Homa Bay County, there are 335 secondary schools, of which some have active alumni associations while others do not.
Mayienga proposed that school boards include members who are alumni, as they would be acquainted with the challenges the institutions face. Already, the Alumni Association has assisted the school in cabro-paving all of its walkways and donated books. According to the Chairman of the Association, Fred Nyawade, their mission is to have a lasting legacy at the institution. He believes that the alumni can do much in transforming Homa Bay High School to be among the most impactful in Kenya and beyond.
The developing schools should not be left to the government, according to Nyawade. Alumni should support schools by donating books and other learning materials since the government is at time inadequate. Notable old students present during the meeting were former Supreme Court Judge Jackton Ojwang.