Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok has responded to criticism from National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, who on Wednesday accused him of incompetence and being disconnected from education realities on the ground.
In an apparent rebuttal, Bitok took to his social media accounts, posting a photo of him in a field holding a walking stick, accompanied by the caption: “On the ground! On call! On duty!” The post was widely interpreted as an effort to demonstrate that he is actively engaged in fieldwork.
Ichung’wah, while addressing Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba during Legislative Retreat in Naivasha did not minced his words, describing Bitok as one of the least effective Principal Secretaries in government.
The Kikuyu Constituency MP accused the PS of remaining Nairobi based and failing to understand challenges facing schools across the country.
“You have the most clueless PS in the Ministry of Education. He only sits in Nairobi and has no idea what happens on the ground. Get out of your offices in Nairobi, go to the ground and deal with the problems there,” Ichung’wah said.
The Majority Leader further faulted the ministry for failing to standardize the prices of desks and school uniforms through a gazette notice.
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He claimed that some school heads divert funds meant for purchasing desks, forcing Members of Parliament to use the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) to buy them.
In response, CS Ogamba acknowledged that the ministry is grappling with a Ksh48 billion budget deficit, which has affected the procurement of learning materials as well as the construction of classrooms and laboratories.
Despite the financial challenges, Ogamba said the government is committed to ensuring all Grade 10 are in school.
He noted that the government is racing against time to complete 1,600 science laboratories by June to support the first cohort of senior school learners under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
The laboratories, he said, are critical to enabling students to begin practical lessons, a core requirement of the new education system.
By Obegi Malack
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