By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 25 May 2026 - Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Monday turned a school commissioning ceremony in Kisii into a sweeping political and economic defence of the Kenya Kwanza administration, unveiling massive education spending figures and portraying the sector as the Government’s central weapon in its battle for legitimacy ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Standing before parents, teachers and local leaders during the commissioning of Geturi School in Mosocho, Kitutu Chache North Constituency, Prof Kindiki painted an image of an administration betting heavily on classrooms, laboratories and technical colleges to secure both economic transformation and political goodwill in regions traditionally considered politically competitive.
The Deputy President said education funding had risen sharply from KSh 500 billion in 2022 to KSh 702 billion in the current financial year, with Treasury projections now placing the next allocation at a historic KSh 765 billion from July.
The figures signalled one of the most aggressive public investment drives in the sector in recent years.
“We are investing heavily in education because it remains the strongest foundation for equality, opportunity and national transformation,” Prof Kindiki declared.
The remarks came at a time when the Government has faced growing public pressure over the high cost of living, unemployment and mounting taxation concerns.
By shifting focus to education infrastructure and youth empowerment, Kenya Kwanza appears keen to recast the national conversation around opportunity, skills and long-term economic mobility.
Prof Kindiki outlined what he described as the administration’s biggest education milestones so far, including the recruitment of 100,000 teachers within four years, construction of 23,000 classrooms and establishment of 1,600 laboratories across the country.
The projects, he argued, were aimed at reducing inequality in access to quality education between urban and rural regions.
Political observers see the Deputy President’s education messaging as carefully calibrated for regions such as Kisii, where education remains both a social aspiration and a potent political issue.
Investments in schools, technical institutes and university funding resonate deeply among households struggling with youth unemployment and rising household expenses.
The Government also used the platform to vigorously defend the controversial Competency-Based Education and Training reforms, which have faced criticism from sections of parents and education stakeholders over implementation challenges and costs. Prof Kindiki insisted the reforms were necessary to align learning with labour market realities and modern economic demands.
More from Kenya
At the tertiary level, the Deputy President projected technical and vocational training as the new frontier of economic survival for young Kenyans.
He said the Government was constructing at least one technical training institute in every constituency while implementing modular learning, recognition of prior learning and dual-training systems aimed at linking skills directly to industry needs.
According to Prof Kindiki, the reduction of annual fees in technical institutions from KSh 105,000 to KSh 87,000 had triggered a dramatic rise in enrolment from 297,000 students in 2022 to 718,000 currently.
The figures reflect a deliberate shift by the State towards vocational education as pressure mounts on universities and the formal employment market continues to shrink.
The Deputy President also mounted a strong defence of the new student-centred university funding model, which has generated fierce national debate and legal scrutiny.
He maintained the model was intended to ensure that “no student misses university education due to lack of fees” while helping rescue financially strained public universities from collapse.
Behind the education pledges, however, lay unmistakable political undertones.
The Kenya Kwanza administration is increasingly using development tours and commissioning events to consolidate support in regions outside its traditional strongholds, with education projects emerging as some of the most visible symbols of State presence at the grassroots.
Geturi School itself was constructed through the National Government Constituency Development Fund under the patronage of Kitutu Chache North MP Japhet Nyakundi, highlighting the growing collaboration between constituency leadership and the national administration in rolling out local development projects.
Among leaders present were Kisii Deputy Governor Elijah Obebo, Members of Parliament, MCAs, parents, teachers and students, in what evolved into both a development showcase and a carefully choreographed political statement on the Government’s education agenda.
Ad
Ad