A major dispute has erupted in Uasin Gishu County over the ownership of Kipkeino Primary School, a prestigious day and boarding institution located along the Eldoret-Webuye highway.
The school’s parents strongly opposed plans to convert the school, founded by Phyllis Keino, wife of Olympic legend Kipchoge Keino, from a public to a private institution. The school, which is currently managed and sponsored by Kipkeino/Lewa Children’s Home, offers the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams under the Kenya National Examinations Council and the Ministry of Education.
Angry parents claim they have heavily invested in the school, paying fees between Sh100,000 and Sh160,000 per year, and have contributed to the development of the school’s infrastructure. They accuse the Kipkeino family of treating the school as personal property, despite it receiving Free Primary Education (FPE) funding and government-provided textbooks.
“For years, this school has served as a public institution, and as parents, we accepted the high fees with the understanding that we were contributing to the school’s development,” said one parent, speaking anonymously. Parents are also frustrated with education officials at both the national and county levels for remaining silent on the issue, despite their concerns over the school’s management.
The opposition intensified after the Ministry of Education issued a notice inviting objections to the proposed conversion of Kipkeino Primary from public to private status. The notice urged individuals or organizations to submit their objections in writing within 14 days. According to the ministry, Kipkeino Primary School is registered as a public institution in Turbo Sub-county, Eldoret North.
Parents insist that the school was registered as a public school on January 3, 2001, with registration number G/PE/0011/2001. Some parents claim that the late President Daniel Moi donated 200 acres of land for the school in the 1980s. However, a recent meeting called by the school’s management to inform the 200+ parents about the planned ownership change ended abruptly.
The Kipkeino family, however, maintains that the school has never been public. According to documents presented to the media, the school was registered as a private institution after the family purchased the land in 1987. The family further clarified that the school occupies 30 acres of land, not 200 as claimed by the parents and that the title deed is registered under Phyllis Keino, with the property now belonging to the Lewa Children’s Home Trust.
In a statement, the family explained that in 1987, they sought approval from the Uasin Gishu District Education Office to establish the school as part of the Kipkeino Children’s Home (now known as Lewa Children’s Home), to provide quality education to both vulnerable children and the wider community. The family and their supporters locally and internationally funded the school’s development through donations.
Andrew Kiptoo, a board member of the school management, stated that the school was advised by the Uasin Gishu Education Office to re-register as a public school to receive Teachers Service Commission (TSC) teachers. Despite parents’ claims that the school benefits from FPE and government textbooks, the family insists that the school has never received any development funds from the National Government Constituency Development Fund (CDF) or parent-organized fundraisers. Kiptoo reiterated that all funding has come from the Lewa Children’s Home Trust and the Keino family, and not the government.
Kiptoo added that the decision to privatize the school was made to allow the family to manage it independently without relying on TSC teachers and instead hire their tutors. However, residents have also voiced their opposition, arguing that they were not consulted on this sensitive matter. “I strongly oppose this move. I believe the school was built using public funds,” said Noah Arap Sing’oei, a resident of Turbo Sub-county.
Uasin Gishu County Director of Education, John Thiringi, confirmed that the process of privatizing the school has been ongoing since 2014. He noted that the process is legal but declined to provide further details, stating, “The law allows such a process, and it has been going on for some time following all legal requirements.”
