President William Ruto yesterday, Sunday, July 27, firmly pledged his administration’s unwavering commitment to the foundational principle of free basic education, directly addressing recent budgetary concerns that had rippled across the nation.
Speaking with conviction at a church service in Nairobi’s Kariobangi, the Head of State sought to unequivocally dispel anxieties ignited by a recent pronouncement from the National Treasury.
This presidential assurance came in the wake of National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi’s submission to the National Assembly’s departmental committee on education that prevailing budget constraints might necessitate a reduction in free education funding.
CS Mbadi had indicated that the current budgetary framework could not sustain the free secondary education program, citing increased government priorities and burgeoning enrolments. He further insinuated that parents might need to share the financial burden, thereby freeing funds for other critical sectors, a suggestion that promptly ignited a fervent public debate.
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However, President Ruto swiftly moved to assuage these concerns.
“I want to assure Kenyans that free primary education at both primary and secondary levels is a constitutional right for all Kenyans. We have ensured that in the last two years, we have undertaken initiatives to make sure that education is truly universal and accessible. Because the commitment we have is that education is the greatest empowerment that any society or country can give to its young people, and that is why it must be affordable, accessible, and of good quality and relevant.” He stated
President Ruto further elaborated on his government’s proactive measures to bolster the education sector, highlighting significant investments in infrastructure.
“We have allocated more money to build new classrooms. In the last two years, we have built 23,000 new classrooms. In Nairobi alone, MPs got Ksh 1 billion allocation to build new classrooms because we had the challenge of congestion that inconvenienced learners and made learning difficult,” he revealed.
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The President’s definitive stance echoes that of his Deputy, Kithure Kindiki, who, speaking in Bungoma County on Saturday, July 26, emphasised the critical importance of upholding free education. Deputy President Kindiki had asserted that any cut to the free education budget would constitute a grave reversal of the monumental gains achieved since the inception of free primary and secondary education, a policy initiated during the tenure of former President Mwai Kibaki and subsequently enhanced by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Deputy President Kindiki affirmed that the Kenya Kwanza regime’s unwavering purpose is to fortify and elevate the education program, not to dismantle it.
By Cornelius Korir
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