Igathe woos teachers, promises to address public schools shortage

Azimio La Umoja Coalition Party Nairobi Gubernatorial candidate Polycarp Igathe has promised to address the issue of public school shortage in Nairobi.

The Nairobi governor candidate said he will avail public land and ensure it is demarcated for public schools in the Capital City.

Igathe who has intensified his campaigns in the Capital City has also vowed to look into the welfare of Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers.

He pledged to increase their salaries and improve their working conditions once elected in the August general elections.

Speaking in Naivasha during a meeting with officials of the Kenya Primary School Head Teachers Association, Igathe decried the state of public schools in Nairobi, especially in densely populated areas.

He noted that parents face challenges in getting admission for their children due to the shortage of public schools.

The Azimio Coalition gubernatorial candidate has promised to recover all grabbed land allocated to public schools and also improve the infrastructure in public schools, especially ECDE institutions.

“We must recover grabbed school land in Nairobi in order to improve the state of public schools in Nairobi. We cannot continue with the current state of affairs once I’m elected as Nairobi Governor," Igathe said.

"We need a state of emergency on the state of public schools in Nairobi.”

Igathe also stated that once elected he’ll ensure the Nairobi City County Government prioritizes teachers' welfare at City Hall.

“Once in office, I will fix the shortage of schools, and infrastructure, deliver security and bursaries and be an ambassador for teachers' welfare. I will triple the ECDE teacher's salaries because I want to run a County where employees perform under good working conditions,” he added.

The event was also attended by Nairobi County Director of Education Moses Karati and Nairobi Branch Kenya National Union of Teachers Executive Secretary Danson Mugwe.

The KNUT official echoed Igathe’s sentiments saying that City Hall should prioritize the issue of teachers' welfare.

“It's of our interest to think about the challenges facing teachers in Nairobi. We need a Governor who will help us to sort out the mess and I’m sure Igathe will help us,” he said while addressing the headteachers.

Former Nairobi City County Education CEC Janet Ouko who was also present vouched for Igathe’s Gubernatorial bid.

He added that he’s the only suitable candidate among all the hopefuls who are eyeing the Nairobi Governor’s seat.

Igathe is facing stiff competition in the race from Kenya Kwanza coalition candidate Senator Johnson Sakaja who is being fronted by UDA Presidential candidate William Ruto.

The former banker has previously served as Nairobi Deputy Governor under former Governor Mike Sonko before he resigned over differences between him and Sonko.