By Angatia Leonard 
Mumias East Member of Parliament, P.K. Salasya, has significantly impacted lives in his constituency through education by awarding bursaries to all students, regardless of their backgrounds, and extending this support to students from neighboring constituencies.
One of his notable contributions is the purchase of three acres of land for St. Stephen’s Eshiakhulo Secondary School to facilitate expansion. With the support of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocations, the school underwent a major transformation. The Board of Management (BOM) and school fraternity expressed their gratitude for the MP’s unwavering commitment. “We appreciate our MP for the support he is giving schools and pray for his continued good health,” said a tearful Principal Wandabi Barasa.
St. Stephen’s Eshiakhulo Secondary Mixed School, a sub-county pure day school, recently achieved remarkable progress, ranking sixth among Mumias East sub-county schools in the latest KCSE results. With a student population of 210, the school operates as a three-stream institution supported by 10 Teachers Service Commission (TSC) teachers and four BOM teachers.
Principal Wandabi Barasa, who joined the school in January 2024, credited the improved performance—a mean score of 3.806, reflecting a positive deviation of +1.2103 from the 2023 mean of 2.576—to the resilience and hard work of both teachers and students. Since the school’s inception in 2013, the 62 candidates of 2024 have brought it into the spotlight. The current 70 candidates are committed to maintaining the bar and surpassing a target mean score of 5.5.
However, the school faces challenges in subjects like Mathematics, Chemistry, and English. To address this, teachers emphasize early syllabus completion by April, cluster grouping, and intensive revision sessions. Peer teaching, group discussions, and close supervision by teachers are some strategies implemented to improve performance. “We reward top-performing students and teachers with monetary incentives. Additionally, candidates are exposed to rigorous tests and past papers for revision, which has contributed to our success,” shared the principal.
Deputy Principal Patrick Selete expressed gratitude to the TSC for staffing nearly all subjects except Business Studies, improving the teacher-to-student ratio significantly. He also highlighted the importance of collective responsibility in addressing teenage pregnancies and low parental involvement, emphasizing discipline as a priority for the school community.
The school also benefits from charitable support through “Friends of Timothy” (F.O.T), a U.S.-based organization that donated a 10,000-liter water tank and funded the construction of six latrines, with three designated for boys and the rest for girls.
Looking ahead, Eshiakhulo plans to construct a multipurpose hall and erect a perimeter wall to enhance security. Director of Studies, Mr. Phobian Rote, noted that the school is conveniently located along the Makunga-Shianda highway in a serene environment conducive to learning. He added that career guidance and new academic programs are being introduced to prepare students for future opportunities.
Joy Christine
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