First Lady Rachel Ruto has launched the drilling of a borehole in Unoa Comprehensive School in Makueni Sub County to provide clean water for consumption and alleviate the water problem.
Consequently, Mrs. Ruto said that the borehole that is being drilled will be up and running before children resume learning in the third term while saying the water will also be distributed to the community surrounding the school.
She further said that the water from the borehole will also assist the school to put up a kitchen garden in an effort to improve food security at the institution.
“Water from this boreholewill improve sanitation, food security through kitchen gardens, nutrition and enhance overall performance of the school,” said Mrs. Ruto while addressing learners at Unoa Comprehensive School after launching the drilling of the borehole on Wednesday.
The First lady also said that the water from the borehole will be used to plant trees in an effort to meet the 15 billion trees target by 2032 and also plant grass at the Unoa Sports ground that is very dusty.
During the event, she expressed her concern over the use of firewood in school kitchens that impacts negatively on the health of cooks and even learners.
In this regard, the First lady urged schools to partner with stakeholders to acquire alternative sources of clean cooking energy to avert this worrying trend, noting that clean energy will promote environmental conservation.
“I will push for the adoption of a clean cooking energy solution under the Ministry of Energy. Schools need to adopt clean cooking energy as a way to protect both health and the environment from desertification,” she observed.
Mrs. Ruto was fulfilling her promise that she made during the commemoration of the Day of the African Child (DAC) on June 6, 2025 when she officiated the event at Unoa sports Ground.
Speaking at the same event, the Principal Secretary (PS) State Department for Water and Sanitation, Mr Julius Korir, said that the national government will construct a sewerage system at Wote town with funding from the African Development Bank (ADB).
During the launch, the First Lady was accompanied by the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Children Services, Carren Ageng’o; Anita Mutula; Makueni County Commissioner Duncan Darusi; County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Gender Eng. Sabastian Kyoni; his counterparts for Education and Water, Mr. Japheth Mang’oka and Eng. John Kieti; among other government officials from both levels of government.
By Patrick Nyakundi and Joshua Musomba
