Valueless Education Behind “small club of super-rich in a sea of poverty”: Catholic Bishop at School Launch in Kenya

Bishop King’oo urged the students at St. Clare Konza Girls Catholic School to go beyond the physical structures that were being blessed and work towards achieving the goal of the institution that is under the management of the Little Sisters of St. Francis (LSOSF).

“We come here before this beautiful building, and we are blessing it. In itself, it will remain a building, but we are blessing it so that those who go in there, students, may be blessed to do their best,” he said.

With quality education, the Kenyan Catholic Bishop said, students’ horizons are widened, they get new perspectives to reality and are enabled to become citizens of the world. “And that is possible. Education opens doors and creates opportunities,” he emphasized.

“If we use our intelligence, and we have many intelligent Kenyans and young people, if we use it well, we will be playing in the league of South Korea, Singapore, and Botswana, and South Africa will be beside us or even behind us,” the Catholic Church leader, who started his Episcopal Ministry in August 1998 as Bishop of Kenya’s Bungoma Catholic Diocese said.

Situated some 90 kilometres from Kenya’s Konza City, a planned technology hub and economic driver, the newly inaugurated school has been realized through partnerships, including the Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). 

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In his speech at the February 17 event, the Education Secretary of Wote Diocese, Fr. Patrick Mutuku, said, “We celebrate not just a building, but the nurturing of minds and hearts grounded in faith, love, and service.”

“The Role of the Catholic Church in value-based education is profound. Through our teachings, we instil in our students the virtues of compassion, integrity, and respect for one another,” Fr. Mutuku said.

The Kenyan Catholic Priest added, “Education is not merely about academic achievement; it is about shaping young women who will lead with highness and uphold the dignity of every person they encounter.”

On his part, Kenya’s Makueni County Governor, Mutula Kilonzo Junior lauded partner entities that facilitated the realization of  St. Clare Konza Girls Catholic School.

He singled out BMZ, lauding the Western European country for its resilience, having overcome the challenges of the past.

“When you visit Germany, you will see the effects of war; if you visit Berlin, you will see the effects of bombing, but these people have worked so hard to overcome those things that they have the best economy in Europe,” Governor Kilonzo said in his remarks, adding, “These are very resilient people.”

The Kenyan Governor continued, “I am saying this to the girls so that you know who your partners and donors are. These people love the environment, so by the time these donors come back, we want them to find trees planted here. They have started a small city for you, both for girls and the community.”

“This place is possibly the only school I know that is running on solar energy; it is the only one that I know has laboratories that are fully equipped; and it is the only school I know that has more books in the library than the students,” Governor Kilonzo said during the February 17 inauguration of St. Clare Konza Girls Catholic School.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.