Marwa bans politicians from feeding KCPE exam candidates

Coast Regional Coordinator Nelson Marwa has banned politicians from providing food to KCPE exam candidates in the region, further inflaming his strained relations with Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, who introduced the programme.

The decision affects 16,176 candidates in Mombasa and ends a tradition started by the county government two years ago and which has gained popularity among pupils and their parents.

Mr Marwa announced the food “ban’’ at a press conference on Monday attended by Ministry of Education officials. He then sent text messages to all education officials in sub-counties relaying the same message.

The schools obeyed Mr Marwa’s directive and turned down the food, to the shock of Mombasa County government officials and those from the Shariff Nassir Foundation.

The packaged food was in a container that bore the portrait of Governor Joho and students waving at home with the inscription “Hassan Joho wishes you the best in your annual exams, baba ni kulea … 001.”

The foundation, whose patron is Mvita MP Abdullswamad Nassir, has been giving candidates in his constituency breakfast and lunch for the past eight years, even before he was elected to Parliament in 2013.

“It is unfortunate, the programme that was planned two months ago in consultation with the education officials is being stopped,” said Mr Nassir on NTV.

ALL CANDIDATES

The Mombasa County government extended the food programme to all the primary school candidates in the county two years ago.

Announcing the ban, Mr Marwa claimed the food donated by politicians “would interfere with examination and corrupt the minds of the candidates.’’

“Hassan Joho has been doing a great job by offering milk to schools. But please, this time round let’s stop such initiatives for a few days. You might think you are doing A, B, C, D but it might be used to interfere with the exams. So let’s keep off all of us,” he said in his office.

The directive applied to all the six coastal counties.

In Kwale and Kilifi, however, and especially in the drought-hit areas, candidates were supplied with lunch and water.

In Mvita, the foundation’s project coordinator Ali Namaan broke down in tears at the Mbaraki Nursery Hall when hundreds of food packages they had dispatched to various schools were returned after school heads turned down the offer citing Mr Marwa’s directive.

“The headteachers said they had instructions not to receive any food from politicians. About 3,700 candidates from 70 schools were set to benefit from this programme in Mvita, especially students from humble backgrounds,” he said as he fought back tears.

Each pack contained two buns, a boiled egg, dates, an apple, juice, a piece of chocolate and two bottles of water.

INCURRED LOSS

Mr Namaan said they had incurred a loss of Sh2.4 million and the ban was a blow to pupils and parents from slums such as Moroto, Kaa Chonjo and Bangaladesh.

“There is no leakage or ill motive with this packed food as you can see. All it has are the food items which have been approved by nutritionists and success messages printed on the top. We were to distribute them for two days,” added Mr Namaan as he opened one of the containers to display the food.

The message on the foundation’s lunch boxes and the paper bags that contained them read: “All the best in your exams. Abdullswamad Shariff Nassir: Kazi tunatenda na bado.’’

The county condemned Mr Marwa, saying they would hold the national government accountable should the students fail.

“Because it will affect the children’s concentration and ability to do well in the exams. We are watching to see how it will unfold. The directive is unacceptable. But how will feeding a child promote cheating in examinations?” said Tendai Mtana, the executive in charge of education and children.

Speaking at St Augustine Primary School in Tudor, Mr Mtana said levels of retention and concentration in public schools had increased through the school feeding programme.

He said it was absurd that Mr Marwa had banned the programme that was set to benefit around 8,500 candidates.