Grateful Community Gathers as Church Hands Over Keys to Mutanu Secondary School in Kenya

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In a small village in the Chyulu hills of southeast Kenya, Makueni County – Kambu Sub County, community members have struggled and sacrificed to build a secondary school to educate their children.  Despite their efforts, essential buildings and facilities needed to educate the 64 children enrolled there were lacking. 

Principal of the school, Boniface Mwatu, recounts his first impressions of the school, “When I came, I found the school, and I was surprised… there was no decent office, the classes were a little bit dilapidated, …so I was a little bit disturbed, where have I come? …But I want to thank the members of this community, the leaders of this community who came up with the idea of this school, they started it from the grass roots, with the little resources they had, …because they were determined to begin a secondary school for this community.  The school was started, and they struggled a lot to have a school, …most of them using their own resources to make sure this school was registered. The same day that I reported, that’s the same day when I saw the Church members coming to see the school, see the needs of the school, …God was answering my prayers.”

The Church humanitarian department, partnering with Riziki Charities, not only saw the needs of the school but pledged to help. Plans were made, contractors selected, and the work went forward.  When struggles arose, such as difficulty procuring the water needed for construction, the Church provided additional help.  They brought in a large water storage tank, which would not only make construction possible but would serve the needs of the school long after the project ended.

On the 30^th of December 2025, during the school handover ceremony, Principal Mwatu expressed his appreciation by saying, “We are happy.  Apart from constructing, you have provided tanks for water, and we are very happy.  The students, when they come, they will find water, very clean water.” 

Of these students he observed, “This community, when I look at it, is a promising community, very bright students who need help, who need to be assisted so that they can achieve their potential.”  He went on to promise “to work hand in hand with the community to bring up these children in a proper way; morally bright students, and also well-educated students, we are ready to do that.”  

Principal Mwatu also expressed his pleasure in having Church members in the community, “because they have uplifted the lives of this community.”  In heartfelt gratitude he emphasized, “We have no words to thank you, this is the most magnificent school around.  …We thank you very much.  You are indeed the Church of Jesus Christ, because that is the work that Jesus came to do.  We thank you very much, as a school, and as a community.  Sometimes that makes me emotional, I have no words, thank you, on behalf of this community.”

Jones Ndunda, the board of management (BOM) chairman, also thanked the Church and the Riziki foundation as he addressed the attendees adding, “They say that we make a living from what we get, but we make a life from what we give.  Whatever you have given or gifted to Mutanu secondary school has made a life, it has made a life, and a life for future generations, and we will be happy to continue nurturing those lives for the sake of our future.”   He went on to say, “Our good example of giving was God himself, because we are taught in the Bible that he gave His only begotten son, so that our lives can be protected.  So, we continue in that spirit, and we will be able to build our future and the future of others.”

Chyulu Stake President, Francis Sammy, responded on behalf of the Church and Riziki Charities saying, “We want to thank the community for accepting the gift we gave them.  Education, water, and health are very dear to everyone.”  He went on to explain, “We have a church program that we call seminary classes.  Seminary classes are classes that we teach the gospel to young people.  …I requested to have a class here and the class was started and is going on.”  He expanded on this saying, “We always want our children taught the gospel at home, in schools, and in the Church.  That is why the Church has those programs, to have the children learn the gospel.”

President Sammy went on to add, “The Church values education so much that everyone understands that if we don’t have education, there’s nothing that is going to take away the poverty that we have, or the problems that we have, sicknesses and such, so parents, let us have our children in school.  …Let us make good use of these facilities and then we can succeed in our lives, so in the future we can help others like we’ve been assisted to better our lives.”

To the delight of parents, teachers, administrators, and students alike, the once small, dilapidated school now has; 5 new classrooms, administration offices, a science lab, a new 4 stall girl’s latrine, a remodeled latrine for the boys, new desks for the students, and clean water for all who enter; creating a much improved learning environment, as well as a brighter future for the children who grow up here.