I’ll not tire of preaching Corona protocols, declares young poet

Wycliff Kipsang @wsang08

A 12-year-old girl from Uasin Gishu county has recited a compelling poem motivating Kenyans to adhere to Covid-19 containment protocols. 

 Melody Wairimu, a Class Six pupil at Newlight Schools, Ziwa is the talk of the town. 

Her poems not only focus on Corona containment measures but also the rights of the girl-child in the society. 

 When People Daily visited her school, which is situated 30km north of Eldoret town, we found her going about her usual class work. 

The soft-spoken girl said she has been reciting inspiring poems but the outbreak of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic had made her star shine even brighter. 

Just before schools re-opened, Joy would be spotted moving from market places to shopping centres in their neighbourhood in Maili Tisa at the outskirts of Eldoret town engaging the public on the need to observe the Ministry of Health guidelines on Covid-19. 

“I will not tire of reciting poems educating residents to observe government guidelines to curb the pandemic. This virus has devastated everything worldwide. I decided to assist the government in my small way to spread messages of keeping Coronavirus at bay,” said Joy.

Gifted actress

One of her favourite poems titled: ‘Tuepukane na Corona’ has gone viral on social media. 

Wairimu has  grown so  popular such that even devolved units in the North Rift have invited her to help sensitise locals on the dangers of the disease, which has claimed thousands of lives globally.

In her poem, Joy, who is also a gifted actress, lauds government efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic.

 “The Coronavirus disease has changed everything around the world. I would be in Standard Seven, but because of the virus disruption to the school calendar, I had to  repeat Class Six. Many lives have been lost; hope things will change soon,” she says. 

She recently got a rare chance to meet  Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed during the minister’s tour of Eldoret.

“I had only been seeing her on TV. She encouraged me to continue with the good work I am doing,” Wairimu told this writer in an interview. 

Apparently, Wairimu  had accompanied her teacher to meet Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno to discuss a possible partnership with the county government to have her sensitise residents on how to curb the spread of the virus when the CS and her envoy also checked in at the Deputy Governor’s office.

Newlight Schools Ziwa principal Raphael Bolei observed that Wairimu is a disciplined and dedicated girl who is committed to her studies. 

“When not attending lessons, you’ll find her writing songs and poems and doing gymnastics. She then presents the poems to her classmates, which is very encouraging,” he disclosed.  

Wairimu is grateful to her teachers for nurturing her talent in line with the new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).  

She is also a very good soloist and in playing Isikuti.

She urges her colleagues with similar talents not to shy away but explore them to their full potential.

Her mother, Beatrice Mwaniki, said she discovered her daughter’s unique talent when she was in Class Three.

Busy schedule

“I noticed her rare talent at a tender age. She could always listen to other people’s songs and poems and create compositions of her own, which made me encourage her to keep up.  She has not disappointed,” Ms Mwaniki, a hawker in Eldoret town told People Daily. 

Interestingly, the girl’s busy schedule has not affected her performance in school as she among the best on her class. She wants to be either an actress or a neurosurgeon in future.

Started in 216, Newlight Schools - Ziwa has not only excelled in nurturing talents, but has also continued to post impressive results in academics - both in the high school and primary school sections. 

The secondary school section has a population of 250 students while the primary section has a population of over 500 (both day and boarding). 

 Bolei said the school not only focuses on academics, but also inspires learners to engage in extra-curricular activities, including sports.   “We have established a strategic plan to identify gaps for us to align our strategy to talent discovery and management spiritual growth,” Bolei said. 

The school has also employed coaches in various disciplines to identify talent among its learners.  One of the students represented the school in a Chess competition last year in Namibia.

“We aim to instill an urban setting in a rural setting by ensuring that our facilities match those in urban schools to attract students from all over the country,” explained Bolei.  The music, Luke Kadhambi, is among those who composed the East African anthem. He took the school to The National Music Festivals in 2019.