Dr. Robert Ouko Primary School

In 2005, Christabel Ouko, the Patron of OCI noticed that a lot of the very young village children were walking around the streets daily not attending school and wondered why. She began to talk to parents and recognized that there were no pre-school programs accessible to these children. Together with some community leaders and parents, they decided to start a school to ensure that these children would receive foundational learning that would set them on a path to a better future. The school started in a semi-permanent mud walled two room building for preschool children with a dedicated staff of 2 teachers and 1 assistant.

The humble surroundings notwithstanding, the inside of the classroom was vibrant with colorful displays and teaching aids. The school set high teaching and learning standards and required parents to bring their children ready to learn with clean uniforms and shoes (this was sometimes a challenge for many of the parents as most were barely surviving on casual labor and subsistence farming). Parents were required to participate and be involved in the school activities. At the urging of the community and parents, each year the school added an additional class to accommodate the existing students as they graduated to the next year.

Mrs. Christabel Ouko, as the Chairperson of a new vibrant school committee, decided to turn it into a public primary school in honor of the late Dr. Robert Ouko. The Dr. Robert Ouko Primary School (DROPS) was formally registered with the Ministry of Education in 2011 as a public primary school that at the time had students from pre-school to Class 3.

Mrs. Ouko always had a vision of the school expanding and having adequate facilities for the staff and students, computer labs, play areas, dining facilities and a community hall to serve the students and the community. This school would be a first rate school with performance standards comparable to the top private schools. She had blueprints drafted of her envisioned school building. She didn’t know how, but she knew that one day her dream would come to pass.

In 2012, visiting families and friends from the USA on a visit to Koru organized by OCI, attended a local Harambee (fundraiser) organized to raise funds to expand the existing school structures to accommodate Class 4 and 5. They were impressed with the passion and enthusiasm that the parents and community had for the school. Mrs. Ouko shared her vision for the school with Pam Trefler, a life long educator, passionate about raising the standard of public education.

Through partnership with the Trefler Foundation, the construction of a brand new building for DROPS began in June 2013 on 2 acres of land donated by the Ouko family adjacent to the Dr. Robert Ouko Memorial Community Library.

The Dr. Robert Ouko Primary school was completed and handed over to the school board and governing committee in May 2014.

Today DROPS has:

• 2 early childhood education (ECD) classes
• Standards 1 – 8
• A computer Lab
• A head teacher’s office
• A staffroom for teachers