National assembly majority leader Aden Duale now wants the mass transfers of non-local teachers from North Eastern region resolved before the region can throw its weight behind BBI.
Speaking at Boys Town Secondary School during a meeting with parents and students, Duale said there was no way the region could support the Building Bridges Initiative when it has a bigger problem in the education sector.
The BBI rally is slated for next weekend in Garissa town and will be hosted by area governor Ali Korane.
“Let me make it very clear. For us to discuss the BBI the following must be done. We must candidly discuss why schools are closing in North Eastern and our children are being denied the right to quality education," Duale said.
While terming the move by the teachers who left the region as ‘dishonesty of the highest level’, Duale wondered why the tutors would leave en mass claiming that there was insecurity yet there are hundreds of non-locals who were still around.
In January, the Al-Shabaab militants killed three non-local teachers in Garissa, in the fourth such incident targeting non-local teachers.
In 2014, 28 teachers travelling to Nairobi for the Christmas holidays were killed by the militants near Mandera.
Duale said that the region will only support the BBI after what he termed as 'three irreducible minimums' are sorted out.
“They should tell us what plans they have for the region going forward now that they had forcefully transferred all the non-Somali teachers. The education CS Prof George Magoha must also come to North Eastern and see for himself how bad the situation is on the ground. We see him going to every other part of the country. Why is he avoiding our region," Duale said.
Duale wondered why the commission would rush into making such a decision without consulting.
He said that the parliamentary committee on education should move with speed and summon the TSC CEO Nancy Macharia and the education CS to explain what informed their decision.
So far more than 3,000 non-local teachers have been issued with transfer letters.
A visibly angry Duale said that some government officials cannot continue using the region ‘as a recruiting ground for teachers’ only to transfer them after a short period..
“Under the new constitution, government of Kenya under president Uhuru Kenyatta is under obligation through the ministry of education to make sure each and every child in Kenya can access quality education. It is our right,” Duale noted
He said that it was the responsibility of the government to protect every citizen individually and his property.
