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Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi has today led a fundraiser to secure and retain Visa Oshwal Primary School as a public institution.
A total of KES 1,391,300 was raised, with Hon Wanyonyi contributing KES 300,000 to the kitty. The money shall be channeled to the school’s legal team.
Hon Wanyonyi spoke of his long advocacy for the school that resulted in a High Court declaration of the school as a public school in 2014.
“I have fought for this school since my time as an MCA leading the education committee. As an MP we successfully secured it as a public school in 2014. The government should be at the forefront in protecting public institutions,” Hon Wanyonyi said.
Notably, the dispute over the status of the community run school took a new twist with the school community having lost the physical possession and management in a Court of Appeal verdict on 22nd February 2019.
However, the school filed an appeal and were granted a temporary conservatory order by the Supreme Court on 21st December 2020 as the case proceeds.This effectively stayed the execution of the judgement and consequential orders of the court of appeal.
Other than Hon Tim Wanyonyi, other guests contributions included Nairobi Deputy Governor and Acting governor Ann Kananu KES 100,000 as well as LSK President Nelson Havi KES 100,000.
The school has been at the centre of ownership wrangles pitting the Visa Oshwal community and the school’s management, with the former aiming to turn it into a private school.
In 2014, the Visa Oshwal parents won a case in the high court that revoked an earlier decision to turn it into a private school.
The land on which the school is built was granted to three trustees of the Shree Visa Oshwal community of Nairobi—Bharmal Rajshi Shah, Vershi Mepa Shah and Keshvlal Fulchand Shah — in 1954.
However, the community was to own it under 12 “special conditions” including the land being used only for erection of a school, prohibition of subdivision of the piece of land and its automatic reversion to the government if it ceased being used as such.
