- Mark Otieno Jonyo profiles Tinderet MP Julius Melly’s journey from teacher and principal to Parliament.
- His education background has shaped his leadership of the National Assembly committee overseeing the sector.
- At home, bursaries and school infrastructure have remained prominent features of his Tinderet development agenda.
In Kenya’s political landscape, few legislators have built as strong an identity around education as Hon. Julius Kibiwot Melly, the Member of Parliament for Tinderet Constituency and Chairperson of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education.
Since entering Parliament in 2013, Melly has steadily carved out a reputation as a legislator who does not merely occupy a parliamentary office, but one who follows issues closely, asks difficult questions and remains engaged until matters placed before him receive the attention they deserve.
His journey is particularly significant because his political career grew out of a long career in education. Before becoming an MP, Melly served as an assistant teacher and later as a school principal under the Teachers Service Commission. Parliament records show that he worked as a teacher from 1994 to 1998 and as a principal from 1999 to 2012. He holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.
That background has profoundly influenced his public service.
For Melly, education is not simply a parliamentary docket. It is a profession he understands from the inside.
From the classroom to Parliament
When Melly was elected to represent Tinderet in 2013, he entered Parliament with practical experience of the challenges facing Kenya’s education system.
Having spent years inside schools, he understood that educational transformation requires more than policies written in Nairobi. It requires classrooms, laboratories, teachers, learning materials, bursaries, motivated learners and properly managed institutions.
His parliamentary career has consequently been closely associated with education.
He initially served as Vice-Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology before rising to become its Chairperson in the 12th Parliament. He has continued in that leadership role in the 13th Parliament.
That progression reflects the confidence placed in his experience and ability to handle one of Parliament’s most important oversight responsibilities.
Development at home in Tinderet
As the MP for Tinderet, Melly’s constituency record has been strongly linked to education and human-capital development.
One of the most visible interventions has been support for students from needy families. In 2024, Tinderet NG-CDF released Sh55 million in bursaries for students in secondary schools, colleges and universities. The allocation included support for day scholars, boarding students, college students and university students, while additional assistance was provided to particularly needy learners.
For families struggling with school fees, such assistance can determine whether a child remains in school or drops out.
Melly has also consistently emphasised investment in school infrastructure. His approach recognises that good academic results require a conducive learning environment. Classrooms, laboratories, dormitories and other facilities are not luxuries; they are essential components of a functioning education system.
The emphasis on infrastructure has continued into 2026, with Melly reaffirming his commitment to improving learning facilities through NG-CDF resources.
His constituency development philosophy is therefore closely connected to the belief that investing in young people is investing in Tinderet’s future.
Education experience shapes leadership
Perhaps one of Melly’s greatest advantages as Education Committee chair is that he understands the sector beyond policy documents.
He has been a teacher.
He has been a principal.
He has dealt with learners, teachers, parents and school administrators.
He has therefore experienced many of the challenges that Parliament now seeks to address at national level.
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This background helps explain his often hands-on approach to committee work. Matters touching on examinations, teachers, universities, TVET institutions, school infrastructure and education financing are issues he understands not only from a legislative perspective, but also through his years of practical experience in the education sector.
By Mark Otieno Jonyo
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