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Irene Kibandi is teacher by profession with a Bachelors degree. After graduation she taught for a while before developing an interest in library science. She enrolled for a Masters Degree in education at Kenyatta University; and graduated in 1992 with a major in librarianship. Irene worked in various institutions in Kenya including Kenyatta University, Daystar University, and St Mary’s School Nairobi before joining the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) in 2006.

At KNLS, Irene served with vigour and passion; and strongly believed that her coming to KNLS was a divine mission. She was an advocate of diverse approach to service delivery. Her initiatives included cost sharing through nominal charges on library users, rotational transfers, and cost saving.

Before her appointment to the office of director in 2006, Debora Nyabundi and Moses Gitari who was seconded from the Ministry of Culture and social services were acting directors of KNLS; she left in 2009 at the expiry of her contract; though the board had put forward a strong recommendation for renewal.

Irene Kibandi is teacher by profession with a Bachelors degree. After graduation she taught for a while before developing an interest in library science. She enrolled for a Masters Degree in education at Kenyatta University; and graduated in 1992 with a major in librarianship. Irene worked in various institutions in Kenya including Kenyatta University, Daystar University, and St Mary’s School Nairobi before joining the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) in 2006.

At KNLS, Irene served with vigour and passion; and strongly believed

that her coming to KNLS was a divine mission. She was an advocate of diverse approach to service delivery. Her initiatives included cost sharing through nominal charges on library users, rotational transfers, and cost saving.

Before her appointment to the office of director in 2006, Debora Nyabundi and Moses Gitari who was seconded from the Ministry of Culture and social services were acting directors of KNLS; she left in 2009 at the expiry of her contract; though the board had put forward a strong recommendation for renewal.

Over a half a century ago, the now elderly man spend his time establishing African schools and preaching Christianity to people in remote parts of Kericho district. Christopher arap Koech, might not be at national level, but the name is revered in various parts of Kericho district and especially in Belgut and Ainamoi areas.

In 1949, Mzee Koech, now and elderly man who walks with some difficulty due to age and complications associated with diabetes was sent by missionaries to start a school in the remote area of Poiywek in Ainamoi.

Poiywek area is among the remotest and semi arid parts of the agriculturally rich Kericho district. The area borders Nyanza province.

Mzee Koech narrates his story to Education Insight at his home in Ngecherok in Belgut currently known as Kericho West District. The old man, born on March 24th 1927 in Samiytuk Village in Belgut, is still healthy and walks with a straight gait. He joined lower Primary school at a school that was then near Kericho Tea Hotel run by African Inland Mission (AIM) for a record four months. The education was then free.

After completing lower primary the octogenarian says he enrolled at the then prestigious Kabianga School when he was 11 years old in 1937.  “The classes were sub standard one, then sub standard “B”,  standard one to standard Six,”  he remembers;  adding, “Standard six level was equivalent to the current Form Four of today.”

He then sat for his Kenya Primary School Examination (KPSE) in 1945 where he begun receiving religious instructions from people he said were from Sot, or the current Bomet regions.

The name did not register in my mind when I first heard of it. A week later, I found myself rehearsing the pronunciation of the word ‘Malkamanza,’ the name of the striking primary school I had heard about. Malkamanza is a unique school in North Eastern Province, 56 kilometers North of Garissa. The school derives its name from Malkamanza village where it is located. The name, for unknown reason means restoration, revival or renewal.

As the story goes, a boran young man married a Meru and settled in Malkamanza village; they reproduced and became Munyoyayas community of Malkamanza. The people in this village lived under extreme climatic conditions. The place is very dry, isolated and tucked in the middle scrubland.

Hidden in the bushes, the Government did not know of its existence until five years ago when some missionaries of Christ Missions to the Unreached came across these people. The missionaries found the village in dire need of food, water and clothing; it had neither a school nor a hospital.
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