Ndindi Nyoro Blasts Ruto's Govt for Confusion over Free Education Budget: "Harmonise Your Lies"
- Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro suspects mischief on the side of the government as senior officials issue conflicting statements on the free education budget
- He noted that the government is doing damage control after observing Kenyans' anger over the scrapping of free education funding
- President William Ruto and his deputy Kithure Kindiki came out to differ with National Treasury CS John Mbadi, who had implied the capitation would be slashed, with the parents covering the deficits
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has sustained his tough sentiment against President William Ruto's administration, accusing it of confusing Kenyans with conflicting pronouncements on the funding of the free education model.
Source: Facebook
Nyoro was referencing the recent declaration by National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, who stated the national budget's inability to sustain the education subsidy for Kenyan learners at the primary and secondary school levels.
How Ruto, Kindiki contradicted CS Mbadi
According to Mbadi, the budget has become too strained to fund other priority areas in the government's running, stating that the increased enrollments over the years have made it impossible for the government to fund them fully.
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His sentiments before the National Assembly's departmental committee on education sparked a raging public debate, with many Kenyans strongly objecting to the suggestion.
With the widespread backlash, the government came out in disregard of the earlier sentiments by Mbadi.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki started by expressly declaring that the Kenya Kwanza government would not reverse the gains made out of the free education programme started by former president, the late Mwai Kibaki.
President William Ruto underscored Kindiki's position, committing that the government would free more funds to bolster free education at the primary and secondary school levels.
How Ndindi Nyoro took on Ruto
The MP dismissed the subsequent statements after Mbadi's pronouncement, saying it was a public relations exercise after backlash from the public.
Speaking on Tuesday, July 29, while gracing the prize-giving ceremony at Kiaguthu Boys School, Nyoro implied that the president and his deputy were not sincere in their supposed assurance to Kenyans, observing that they did so just to mitigate the beating the government was getting from an angered public.
"I saw now, after realising the Kenyan parents are very angry. Now the government is trying to come and absolve itself. And they are saying, they support free basic education. Then what you are telling you is this: don't tell us, just set the money," he said.
Nyoro accused the president and his team of malice aforethought against basic education, saying they were caught in their dishonest ways.
The MP said no sane Kenyan would sit back and watch the government bungle such a critical sector as education.
"We are not going to allow anyone to play around with free basic education. It is appalling to see people in the same government giving different, conflicting statements around the same subject. Even if you wanted to lie to Kenyans, you would have called for a meeting to harmonise the lie, so that when you come out, you give Kenyans the proper picture," he said.
Source: Twitter
The MP dismissed the government's claim that the budget is too meagre to fully accommodate the free education model.
He noted that funds were being wasted on unimportant causes like the renovations of the Nairobi State House.
"When the budgets are made, Parliament is only a conveyor belt, the buck stops with the Executive. Please, reorganise your budget. Remove money from those many areas, including endless renovations, including confidential funds. Remove the money for political management, like the one we are seeing people spending every weekend. Direct that money to capitation of support of our education. And please don't shift blame. Just do what is right because you know what is right. Kenyans are not interested in blame games and shenanigans, but their children getting quality education," Nyoro said.
How Mbadi defended himself
The CS roped the National Assembly into the debate, accusing it of reducing allocation for education whenever budget estimates are presented.
Mbadi said the Treasury can only release what the National Assembly has approved.
At the same time, he claimed the capitation has never catered for all the learners.
He observed that enrollments in schools have been on a constant rise despite the static budget.
Whilst the free education programme for senior secondary learners started with KSh 22,400 per capita, the amount has reduced to around KSh 17,000 per learner.
He said that was the cause of the debts in schools, as the remittances don't cover the surplus enrollments.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
