- President William Ruto has completed a four-day development tour of Bomet and Kericho, pledging support for schools in the counties
- Ruto has opened a new administration block at Torit Girls High School and inspected roads, hospitals, housing and electricity projects across the two counties.
- Ruto has defended his education record, citing the hiring of over 100,000 teachers in four years and pledging 20,000 more recruits alongside timely capitation funding.
President William Ruto has concluded a four-day development tour of Bomet and Kericho counties, with schools among the key beneficiaries of new government support and development pledges.
During the tour, Mindililwet Senior School in Soin Sigowett received a promise of a new bus after Kericho Senator and National Assembly Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot appealed to the President to intervene. Cheruiyot said the school had gone for many years without a bus, making it difficult for students to participate in educational activities outside the institution. “President, the school you just landed at has no bus. Please, if you can help them get one, it will be good,” Cheruiyot said. In response, President Ruto asked the school to provide its bank account details so that he could deposit Sh10 million towards the purchase of a bus.
The President also visited Rungut Primary School in Bureti, where he allocated Sh5 million to support various school activities. Parents and other stakeholders welcomed the support, saying it would improve the learning environment and strengthen educational activities at the school. “We thank our President so much for the support. The money will go a long way in boosting learning activities in our school,” said Mary Soi, a parent at the school.
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At Torit Girls High School in Ainamoi, President Ruto officially opened the institution’s new administration block as part of his engagements with residents and education stakeholders. The Head of State also launched and inspected various development projects across Bomet and Kericho counties, including roads, hospitals, affordable housing projects and last-mile electricity connections.
Speaking during the tour, President Ruto defended his administration’s record in the education sector, saying his government had made significant strides in improving learning across the country. He said his administration had hired more than 100,000 teachers in the past four years, with plans to recruit an additional 20,000 teachers this year. “We have employed more than 100,000 teachers in the last four years, and this year we are going to employ another 20,000 teachers,” Ruto said, claiming that no previous administration had recruited teachers at the rate achieved by his government. “No administration has employed teachers at the rate that we have done,” he added.
The President also reiterated his commitment to ensuring that students from across the country have access to university education without facing unnecessary barriers. “We are committed to ensuring that every student who qualifies gets an opportunity to access university education with ease,” he said, further promising to increase funding for schools and ensure that capitation is released on time to enable institutions to run their programmes without disruptions. “We will continue to increase funding to our schools and ensure that capitation is provided on time,” he said. Ruto said the measures were part of his broader agenda to transform the education sector and create equal opportunities for learners. “We are committed to transforming education in this country so that every child, regardless of where they come from, can have an opportunity to succeed,” he said.
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Residents said the projects would not only improve access to essential services but also create a better environment for learning and economic activity, adding that the development projects are expected to boost education and spur broader development across the two counties.
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