Pupils from a local school in Nyamira may do without a playing ground following an ongoing squabble between the school’s management and members of the community who claim ownership of the playground.
On Tuesday, tension engulfed Ritibo primary school with students restricted from accessing the playground by the administration as those claiming ownership hanged near the school compound.
According to James Moriasi, one of those claiming ownership, the school had been given the piece of land on temporary basis by their deceased father, Innocent Aminga, only for the institution to claim ownership after his death.
“Even the teachers who have been here for long remember that. The institution had a small playing ground and my father gave them on a temporary basis and now it has been taken away,” he said.
However, school head, Peter Monubi, distanced himself from the dispute and asked the aggrieved to go to court so that the matter is heard instead of troubling innocent pupils.
“The truth is that I just know the land belongs to the school. Why have they waited for all this time? They should go to court and have the matter settled there,” he said.
Some community members attributed the intrigues to the perceived bad blood between the institution’s management and those claiming the land.
“I think they are not comfortable with the head teacher. If indeed they were serious with their claims, they should have reported the matter long ago. Maybe they don’t like him at all and that is why they are introducing the matter,” said Charles Ondieki.