• The Ugunja MP said Ruto talks a lot about growing up in poverty.
• He said Ruto must not deny other children the same opportunity he had.
Image: FILE
Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi has called on President William Ruto to reinstate the subsidy on school fees.
Speaking on a video on Twitter on Wednesday, Wandayi said this will help ensure no student misses a place in high school, college or university because of lack of school fees.
"High school education was also substantially subsidised previously. The Ruto regime has removed the subsidy but insists strangely that school fees remain the same. We are going to demand the full reinstatement of the subsidy," he said.
Wandayi further said they will also demand a full review of the university students loan regime to ensure it is in tune with the prevailing economic situation in the country.
The Ugunja MP said Ruto talks a lot about growing up in poverty.
"We believe he (Ruto) is only where he is because the country paid for his education. He is definitely a beneficiary of government bursaries of his time and the government sponsorship through the entire university education," he said.
Wandayi added that Ruto must not deny other children the same opportunity he had.
"We are going to push the government to ensure that every deserving hardworking ambitious child in Kenya has the same opportunity the current leaders had, to pursue education without placing the entire burden on poor and struggling parents," he said.
The legislator said they will also insist the government employs all trained teachers in order to address the shortage in primary and secondary schools.
"To this end we expect to see adequate budgetary allocation to the TSC in the impending supplementary budget, to enable it to absorb all unemployed teachers and have them deployed during first term," he said.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime had subsidised the fees as a cautionary measure for parents from the impacts of Covid-19, which had led to reduced incomes for many families.
However, Ruto’s administration has opted to do away with most subsidy programmes.
The expiry of the programme means students in national and extra-county schools will pay Sh53,554, up from the present Sh45,000.