Schools in Kakamega have been urged to acquire books from booksellers who are registered with the Kenya Book Sellers’ Association.
The chairperson of the Kenya Book Sellers Association Kakamega chapter, Charles Wanyanga, said the association ensures that the books supplied to schools are approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
He was speaking during a breakfast business meeting organized by the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Kakamega chapter that brought together book sellers and officers from the Ministry of Education.
He called on business people who deal in stationery and would like to distribute books to schools to register with the association which works closely with the Ministry of Education.
He warned that schools that procure books from individuals not registered with the association risk falling into the traps of purchasing books that are not approved or with pirated content hence incurring losses when they are forced to replace.
He assured schools that once they procure from those registered, the association will always take necessary measures to ensure value for money and if a member engages in malpractices, then action will be taken against that member as the school gets compensation.
He said the association which covers Kakamega and Vihiga has currently registered 40 booksellers in the two counties.
The Vice Chairperson of the KNCCI Kakamega chapter, Charles Omutanyi, said that with the challenges facing the business sector in Kakamega, booksellers will only get empowered through an association.
He said that the chamber wants to ensure that businesspeople thrive without compromising the education standards in the community.
An education officer at the County Director of Education Office, Moses Buriri, said schools will work with registered booksellers in the county.
He urged the sellers to join the association to benefit from the large market of over 459 secondary schools and about 1700 primary schools in Kakamega County.
“That is a large market for the booksellers, and any malpractice will really harm our learners, so we have agreed that the rogue booksellers will have to be put on hold and any malpractice will be reported. Our quality assurance and standards officers, our county school’s auditor are always on standby to enhance the quality of education for our learners,” he assured.
By Moses Wekesa
