A sharp, unsettling contrast has emerged in the heart of Bomet Central, where the decaying infrastructure of Manyatta Primary School stands as a stark contradiction to the political prominence of its immediate neighborhood.
Despite serving as the official polling station and immediate neighbor to the area Member of Parliament, Richard Kilel,whose private residence sits a mere 100 meters from the compound,the school has been left to rot, sparking fierce outrage from parents and community members who feel utterly abandoned by their leader.
For a school with such close proximity to power, the reality on the ground is grim.
Decades of neglect have left the institution with dilapidated classrooms, collapsing structures, and an environment entirely hostile to learning.
The community’s frustration is compounded by what they describe as a superficial, bare-minimum effort by the lawmaker to address the crisis in his own backyard.
Local resident Erick Yegon did not mince words when describing the MP’s absolute lack of meaningful intervention at the institution.
”This is Manyatta Primary School in Bomet Central and a polling station for the Member of Parliament, Kilel, whose residence is just 100 meters from the school,” said Erick Yegon.
“The only thing he has done in his primary school is to paint the two classes that Former Mp built.”
The sentiment is widely shared across the village, where residents expected that having an MP living practically inside the school’s square mile would guarantee top-tier infrastructure through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).
Instead, they watch daily as their children learn in conditions that threaten both their academic future and physical safety.
Gilbert Korir, another community member voicing the frustrations of silent parents, pointed out the painful irony of the situation, questioning how a leader can look past such decay every single day on his way home.
”It is deeply shameful that our children are forced to study in structures that look like abandoned shacks, while the person we elected to represent us lives just a stone’s throw away,” noted Gilbert Korir.
“How does the MP pass by this school every day, seeing the collapsing roofs and mud floors, and feel comfortable going home to his estate? This is his own polling station, the very place that propelled him to parliament, yet it looks like a school in a forgotten wilderness.”
The anger in Bomet Central is not just about peeling paint or old bricks; it is about an apparent lack of political goodwill and priorities. Community leaders note that while other schools across the county are benefiting from modern, multi-story tuition blocks and digital labs, Manyatta Primary has been reduced to surviving on the remnants of past leadership.
Manaseh Koech warned that the community’s patience has completely run out, and the window for empty political rhetoric has closed.
”We are tired of public relations stunts and cosmetic leadership,” stated Manaseh Koech.
“Slapping a fresh coat of paint on two classrooms built by his predecessor does not count as development. We want actual construction—new classrooms, proper desks, and safe sanitation facilities for our children. If Hon. Kilel cannot fix the school right outside his own gate, how can we trust him to transform the rest of Bomet Central?”
As the school term progresses, the community of Manyatta continues to demand accountability, challenging their MP to step across the 100-meter threshold separating his residence from the school and deliver the dignity their children rightfully deserve.
