By Njeri Irungu.
Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF), in partnership with the Malaysian High Commission in Kenya, has unveiled a mobile science laboratory and distributed dignity packs to students at Kibera Primary and Junior School in a bid to strengthen science education and tackle period poverty among vulnerable learners.
The initiative, launched during this year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day commemorations on Thursday, marks the 18th mobile science laboratory deployed by ENAF across the country to support implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Ruzaimi Mohamad, said the mobile laboratory would enhance practical science learning for students who previously lacked access to laboratory facilities.
“We are donating a mobile science laboratory for this school to help students better understand science subjects. Previously, many learners could not fully grasp practical science because the school lacked a proper laboratory,” he said.
Mohamad noted that science education remains critical in preparing students for future opportunities and expressed hope that the facility would improve learning outcomes at the school.
The laboratory is the second sponsored through the partnership between ENAF and the Malaysian High Commission, following an earlier donation to Ngala School for the Deaf in Nakuru County.
ENAF Chief Executive Officer Dr. Jennifer Riria said schools across the country continue to face significant challenges implementing CBC due to inadequate infrastructure, shortages of learning equipment, and insufficient staffing.
“The schools in this country are going through a very difficult time. Nobody is against the curriculum, but the challenges are many — from inequality in school infrastructure to inadequate learning equipment,” she said.
Dr. Riria called on Kenyans, development partners, and institutions to support schools through collaborative initiatives aimed at improving educational resources and strengthening the education sector.
She also raised concern over period poverty, revealing that some girls are forced into exploitative situations in search of sanitary towels. She said ENAF’s dignity packs contain sanitary towels, soap, undergarments, and other hygiene products aimed at helping girls remain in school during menstruation.
The ENAF CEO further expressed concern over student safety following recent school fire incidents, calling for stronger safety standards in learning institutions and improved emergency preparedness in schools.
Kibera Primary and Junior School Headteacher Samuel Onyango welcomed the support, noting that the institution has a student population of about 1,800 learners, many of whom struggle to access sanitary towels and adequate educational resources. He also cited shortages of teachers, especially in junior secondary, as one of the school’s major challenges.
