The M-Pesa Foundation has officially handed over a Sh67 million infrastructure upgrade at Upanda Comprehensive School, replacing decades-old semi-permanent structures with modern learning facilities.
Located in Upanda Village in Alego-Usonga Sub-County, Siaya County, the school was established in 1965 and officially registered in 2024 as a single-stream primary institution.
Under the leadership of Head of Institution Dorine Juma and Board of Management Chairman Fanuel Omuga, Upanda serves 357 learners, comprising 202 boys and 155 girls, supported by 11 Teachers Service Commission (TSC) teachers.
M-Pesa Foundation Trustee Celestine Munda (centre, wearing green) greets staff at Upanda Comprehensive School during the official handover, with Head of Institution Dorine Juma, BOM chairperson Fanuel Omuga, and a young learner present.
The comprehensive transformation addresses the educational realities revealed by census and public policy data in Siaya County.
While Siaya has an adult literacy rate above 80% and 63% of the population reaches primary education, long-term retention remains a critical bottleneck.
Exterior view of the newly constructed, fully furnished Administration Block at Upanda Comprehensive School in Alego-Usonga Sub-County. Built as part of a KES 67 million investment from the M-Pesa Foundation, the facility includes executive offices, a central boardroom, a staff lounge, and reception areas furnished with modern orthopaedic desks and visitor seating.
Census data indicate that only 15.8% of Siaya residents reach secondary school or higher.
Of these, 13% complete secondary education, 2% reach tertiary education and 1% reach university, while 14% have no formal schooling.
The foundation said structural deficits in foundational learning facilities, including high learner-to-classroom ratios and a lack of digital infrastructure, have historically limited transitions to higher education levels.
M-Pesa Foundation Trustee Celestine Munda and Head of Institution Dorine Juma during a tour of the modern stainless-steel kitchen facilities at Upanda Comprehensive School in Alego-Usonga Sub-County, equipped with 200-litre energy-efficient eco-jikos.
M-Pesa Foundation Trustee Celestine Munda speaks to learners in one of the newly constructed classrooms at Upanda Comprehensive School, alongside Head of Institution Dorine Juma.
Learners access clean water at newly constructed handwashing stations situated below an elevated 10,000-litre water storage tank at Upanda Comprehensive School in Alego-Usonga Sub-County.
