A section of Nairobi lawmakers have come to the defence of Treasury CS John Mbadi, following his recent disclosures on the underfunding of Kenya’s free primary and secondary education programmes.
The MPs also backed the broad-based government arrangement between President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga, urging ODM supporters to support the party’s position.
They said Raila’s ODM party had made its stance clear on the deal with Ruto’s UDA and the move should end internal wrangles within the opposition.
“This should put to an end the speculations and uncertainty that have lingered for the last few weeks, especially among Kenyans and supporters of the broad-based government,” they said.
MPs Beatrice Elachi (Dagoretti North), Tabitha Mutinda (nominated senator), Peter Orero (Kibra), Felix Odiwuor (Lang’ata) and Anthony Oluoch (Mathare) addressed journalists at a press conference in Parliament on Thursday.
Separately, Makadara MP George Aladwa and a group of Nairobi MCAs lauded ODM’s Central Committee for reaffirming the party’s commitment to working with the ruling coalition under the broad-based arrangement.
Speaking at Boulevard Hotel, Aladwa urged party members to respect and adhere to the decisions made by the party’s leadership.
“I urge all ODM members—elected leaders, party officials and grassroots supporters—to respect the resolutions of the Central Committee and uphold party discipline,” he said.
Aladwa, who also chairs the ODM Nairobi branch, urged the National Elections Board (NEB) to expedite the party’s delayed grassroots elections in the city.
“There are four constituencies where elections are still pending. We are urging NEB to fast-track the exercise so that we can prepare for county and national elections,” he said.
The lawmakers also defended CS Mbadi, saying he should not be vilified for telling the truth about the government’s education funding shortfall.
“We are in a new era of transparency. And while that honesty may feel uncomfortable, it is necessary to fix the system and restore public confidence in free education,” they said.
Last week, CS Mbadi sparked public uproar after revealing the government was disbursing Sh16,900 per secondary school student — far short of the Sh22,244 capitation target.
In response to the growing concern, President William Ruto and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki reassured Kenyans the government remains committed to free primary education and subsidised secondary education.
The MPs, however, noted the problem predates the Kenya Kwanza administration, pointing out that no government in the last seven years has fully met the Sh22,244 capitation benchmark per learner.
“Year after year, schools have received less than what was promised, and yet principals have carried the burden in silence,” they said.
The legislators blamed Parliament for the persistent underfunding of the education sector.
“Parliament must take its share of the blame for exposing our schools and children by allocating Sh16,000 instead of the required Sh22,000 per child,” they said.
They urged the Treasury and Education ministries to table a
supplementary budget in Parliament to increase the allocation and ensure every
learner receives the full capitation amount.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
President William Ruto said over past two years, the government has hired 76,000 teachers to close the teacher-learner gap, with an additional 24,000 teachers to be recruited in January next year. He also highlighted the signing of a long-term Collective Bargaining Agreement with teachers’ unions Knut and Kuppet, aimed at ensuring industrial harmony.
