Ndunyuruma Village in Meru County sits somewhere between the lush green slopes of Mount Kenya Forest, and the semi-arid wildlife flats of northern Kenya. At the centre of the Village along a murram road, a block of classrooms lies to the left of a dusty field adorned with two goal posts on each extremity. Adjacent to the classrooms is a small wooden room with iron sheet roofing that serves as a Staff Room.

This is Ndunyuruma Primary, a centre of learning for 53 pupils aged between 7 and 15 years from the neighbouring community.

On a sunny day like today, the strong winds carry dust across the field and into the windowless classrooms, leaving a fine red film on every pupil, desk, book and wall in its way. However, learning continues uninterrupted, pupils actively responding to the knowledge shared by the enthusiastic teachers, turning the pages of their textbooks in unison.

One such pupil is Kenneth Mwirigi, a 13-year old class 6 pupil.

For Kenneth, school is not just about learning and education, it is his primary source of fun and recreation.

Kenneth leaves home shortly after sun up every weekday, ready for a 30-minute trek to school that will take him across homesteads, down narrow tracks and past dusty seasonal river beds. His main concern is not getting to school dusty, but something much bigger.

Elephants.

Challenges Faced While Going to School

With Ndunyuruma School sitting in the middle of an open wildlife migratory corridor, encountering elephants on his way to school or within the school compound is something Kenneth has become used to. “When I meet them on my way to school, I simply hide in nearby homesteads until they are a safe distance away, then I continue with my walk to school. A little faster this time so that I do not get late for my classes,” Kenneth said when I met him at school early July 2021.

In the school compound, a new water tank that had been installed by FH Kenya bears deep cuts and dents of elephant tusks. Shortly after installation in March 2021, the massive mammals visited the school and damaged the tanks when looking for water.

Kenneth has adapted to sharing his space with elephants. It is something he has seen his parents, teachers and fellow pupils do. For him, there is an even bigger challenge that took him a while to adapt to – school closures done to stop the spread of Covid-19.

When schools were closed in March 2020, some pupils celebrated at the promise of a long school holiday. Not Kenneth Mwirigi. At the back of his mind, he knew the early break from school was also an early departure from friends and the true source of fun and games he knew.

It was a sad walk home for Kenneth that afternoon in March 2020 after the government ordered all schools to close, a backpack on his back, and the weight of uncertainty on his shoulders. No one knew when he would be able to return to school – not his parents, teachers, fellow pupils or even the government.

Learning During a Pandemic

After schools were closed, learning in many other schools continued through online platforms. For Kenneth, he could only sit back and wait for the social distancing restrictions to be lifted. His parents are casual labourers, so acquiring a smartphone for him to continue with his learning was not financially possible.

That is when Kenneth tapped into his social networks and approached an older pupil – a grade above his – who agreed to help Kenneth revise what he had been taught and keep up with other pupils taking online classes. This offline plan worked and Kenneth was able to continue with learning despite not having a way to go online.

Happy to be Back at School

When schools reopened towards the end of 2020, Kenneth was overjoyed to be back on the familiar track to school. Masked up and with Covid-19 social distancing protocols being observed, Kenneth was finally back in the fun learning environment that he had missed for six months.

The joy of being back in school is one Kenneth is lost for words when explaining. He will show how much once he sits his end of term examinations.