Nominated Senator Betty Montet during a committee meeting on August 5, 2025/NAThe Senate Committee on Education has expressed concern over a growing trend of governors failing to honour invitations, a pattern it says is undermining its oversight role and delaying crucial work.
Committee chairperson, Senator Betty Montet cited repeated postponements by the governors of Kirinyaga and Samburu, describing it as a worrying case of absenteeism.
Some committee members suggested that certain governors may be deliberately avoiding scrutiny, particularly in counties grappling with issues such as delayed teacher payments.
To address the delays, the Committee has proposed that governors respond to invitations at least seven days in advance, with clear penalties for non-compliance.
Montet further recommended shifting committee meetings to Mondays to allow rescheduling for absent governors.
“This committee must not be crippled by absence and avoidance. There must be seriousness in our engagements,” she stated.
The session also reviewed the draft model for the pre-primary school feeding programme, with senators identifying significant gaps and misalignments.
They criticised county governments for shifting the programme’s focus toward primary school learners, instead of the intended Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) beneficiaries.
Montet criticised the Council of Governors (CoG) for submitting a draft lacking clarity and failing to adequately address ECDE needs.
“This programme has nothing to do with ECDE learners. It has been overtaken by a commercial approach tailored for primary schools,” she said.
Senator Margaret Kamar on her part urged counties to avoid duplicating national feeding programmes and to prioritise pre-primary children, who are most in need of nutritional support at the foundational stage of learning.
Other committee members, Catherine Mumma, Seki Lenku, and Mwaruma, echoed the call for a thorough review of county submissions, to realign the feeding initiative with its original purpose.
