Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogambaa has warned politicians against making remarks that are likely to polarise the country further along ethnic lines.

He singled out a recent comment attributed to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua insinuating that the placement of grade 10 candidates was allegedly skewed to favour other ethnic communities at the expense of others.

“They (marginalised regions) have the opportunity to develop institutions of the highest standards possible in Kenya, not just for the children of those areas, but for the children of Kenya,” Gachagua said, adding that comparable counties in western, Rift Valley and Mt Kenya regions had used smaller amounts to establish “beautiful institutions.”

Ogamba accused the leaders of dragging “small politics” into the education sector, warning that the government will not allow national schools to be ethicised or learners’ futures to be compromised for political expediency.

But even as Gachagua took flak for saying national schools in central Kenya are a preserve of local communities, accountability questions are being raised about use of public funds by communities in so-called marginalised regions of the country – northern, north-eastern, north-western and southern Kenya.

According to Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale students in western Kenya are denied admission to local schools to make way for students from the marginalised regions despite the latter being beneficiaries of equalisation funds.

Dr Khalwale observes, “As they say, if you want to kill a dog, start by giving it a bad name. Listening to Rrigathi Gachagua with sobriety, he actually raised a valid and not tribal point. I strongly believe national schools should reserve 30 per cent admission slots to students from local communities. As for the use of NG-CDF (National government Constituency Development Funds) by MPs and by extension devolved funds by governors from the former Northern Frontier Districts, let us not sugarcoat anything.
These leaders are the problem! Period.”

Constitutionally, regions designated as hardship areas are entitled to “equalisation fund” – special funding to fast-track economic and social infrastructure development and bring those regions on the same level with the rest of the country.

Senior Counsl Ahmednassir Abdullahi agrees with the former deputy president. He notes:

“Rigathi Gachagua is right when h says North Kenya leaders are thieves who steal from their people and invest public funds in Nairobi. Northern Kenyan leaders can account for about Ksh1 trillion ($7.8 billion) given to them region since devolution started in 2013, northern Kenya leaders have not built world class institutions, such as schools and hospitals and have eaten CDF money. Northern Kenya leaders, including MCAs, are all domiciled in Nairobi ad have homes, wives and children only inn Nairobi, with none in northern Kenya.”

According to the state, “The Equalisation Fund was established under Article 204 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, which requires that one half per cent (0.5 per cent) of all the revenue collected by the national government each year, calculated on the basis of the most recent audited revenue received, as approved by the National Assembly, to be paid into the Fund.

Article 204 (2) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 provides that the national government shall use the fund only to provide basic services including water, roads, health facilities and electricity to marginalised areas to the extent necessary to bring the quality of those services in those areas to the level generally enjoyed by the rest of the nation, so far as possible.

Instead of investing the funds in designated goals, leaders from the marginalised regions pinch the resources and invest in real estate in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu and other major towns.

It is against his backdrop Gachagua called for accountability in use public funds meant for building amenities in economically marginalised regions.

Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi has weighed in on the growing national debate on leadership, devolution and accountability in northern Kenya and backed remarks made by former Gachagua. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ahmednasir said Gachagua had raised what he described as legitimate accountability questions regarding the use of public resources in Northern Kenya since the introduction of devolution in 2013.

According to the lawyer, leaders from the region should be held to account over billions of shillings allocated through devolution and the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), arguing that the scale of public investment has not been matched by visible development outcomes.

“Gachagua is playing politics, but when he talks about northern Kenya leadership and how they have let down their people he is being truthful and I’m with him,” Ahmednasir wrote.

He observed that northern Kenya leaders have failed to satisfactorily explain how hundreds of billions of shillings disbursed over the last decade have been spent, pointing to what he described as the absence of world-class public institutions, including schools and hospitals, in some counties.

Gachagua maintains, “All children in Kenya deserve equal treatment. National schools are very critical because they have a very developed infrastructure and they attract the best among children. There must be fairness in the placement of children in national schools,” Gachagua said.

“I have not insisted that children of a certain area must go to schools where those children are domiciled, no. Where the schools are domiciled, children from that area who qualify must be given an opportunity.”

He added: “There is a child in Thogoto who scored 71 out of 72 marks; Alliance is just a few metres and the child had asked to be placed in Alliance and the cluster was right but the child was denied while students from other regions got an opportunity. These placements must be based on merit and I am saying it is unfair to deny a child an opportunity to go to school of their choice.”

Speaking to students after the release of KCSE 2025 results at AIC Chebisaas Boys Secondary School, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, the cabinet secretary said it was misguided for leaders to suggest that national schools should only admit students from host communities, stressing that such institutions are meant to serve learners from across the country.

“Chebisaas is a national school. We have students from the coast, western, north-eastern, Nyanza and Rift Valley,” he said. “For those politicians, I urge them most respectfully to go to the dictionary and read the meaning of the word ‘national.”

The minister observed that the government had been forced to respond after repeated political attacks on the education sector, which serves more than 12 million learners nationwide. He dismissed claims that school capitation had been reduced, noting that the government recently for the first time in 10 years released Sh44 billion to schools.

“This is the first time in over 10 years that capitation has been disbursed before schools open. Heads of institutions are expected to ensure prudent use of these public resources for the benefit of learners, and to desist from imposing any extra levies or fees,” Ogamba warned.

“We have provided resources, infrastructure and teachers,” he said, adding that the current administration has employed 100,000 teachers – nearly 30 per cent of all teachers hired since independence in 1963.

He warned that education stakeholders would resist any attempts to undermine the sector, saying officials were ready to mobilize millions within the education system to defend learners’ interests. “We will not sit back and allow nonsense to be brought into the education sector,” he cautioned. “The future of our children must not be played with for political gain.”

Ogamba also issued a stern warning to school principals and directed them not to demand any money from parents seeking school placements. He said such actions were illegal and that a reporting mechanism had been put in place.

“If we find a principal demanding a bribe, we will deal with them administratively and they will never be principals in this country again,” the education cabinet secretary said.

On student placement, the cabinet secretary reiterated that learners are free to attend schools of their choice regardless of region, citing his own educational journey across different parts of the country as an example. He said the government had opened an online portal to allow parents and students to request transfers to schools where they feel most comfortable. The cabinet secretary assured students that the government remains committed to protecting their interests.

“If you study and work hard, the government will support you,” Ogamba told the students, urging them to focus on education and ignore political distractions.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Ekuwam Sylvester

The Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba addressing the students during his tour to the county to announce the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Examination Results on Friday 9th January, 2026, At A.I.C. Chebisaas Boys Secondary School, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.

Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba (centre) accompanied by Basic Education PS Amb. Prof. Julius Bitok (left) and Moiben MP and National Assembly Education Committee Member Prof. Phylis Bartoo (right) and other senior government officials, during release of the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Examination results on Friday 9th January, 2026, At A.I.C. Chebisaas Boys Secondary School, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.