By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 9 May 2026 - At a moment when Kenya’s political class is under mounting pressure over the cost of living, youth unemployment and the future of public education, President William Ruto chose one of the country’s oldest institutions to deliver a sweeping defence of his administration’s legacy — and a carefully crafted appeal to national memory.
Standing before generations of alumni, religious leaders, teachers, and political dignitaries at Maseno School during its 120th anniversary celebrations, the President transformed what might have been a ceremonial address into a broader political statement about nationhood, state power and the contest over Kenya’s future.
In language rich with symbolism and historical weight, Dr Ruto cast Maseno not simply as a school, but as an institution that “shaped the destiny of nations”, placing it among the rare establishments whose influence stretches beyond classrooms into the architecture of the state itself.
The setting was politically loaded. Kisumu County remains a region deeply associated with opposition politics and with the enduring legacy of Kenya’s first Vice-President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who once taught at the school. By invoking Odinga repeatedly — while also celebrating other iconic alumni linked to Kenya’s intellectual and liberation history — the President appeared keen to position himself not as a partisan outsider in Luo Nyanza, but as a custodian of national continuity.
There was political calculation in the imagery.
Dr Ruto spoke reverently of the historic Oseno tree under which the institution began in 1906, of the chapel built at the dawn of colonial rule, and of the residence once occupied by Jaramogi himself.
In doing so, he sought to anchor his presidency within Kenya’s long historical arc rather than within the turbulence of present-day political rivalries.
The speech also carried a subtler message: that institutions outlive governments, and that political legitimacy is strengthened when leaders align themselves with enduring national symbols.
Yet beneath the nostalgia lay an unmistakable policy pitch.
The President used the anniversary to mount one of his strongest public defences yet of the government’s controversial education reforms, particularly the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, which has faced criticism from parents, unions and sections of the political opposition over implementation challenges and costs.
Dr Ruto framed the reforms not as bureaucratic restructuring, but as an ideological shift designed to free young Kenyans from what he portrayed as an outdated “one-size-fits-all” model of education.
Kenya, he argued, could no longer rely solely on examination-driven learning if it hoped to compete in a global economy increasingly shaped by innovation, technology and specialised skills.
In effect, the President attempted to recast the education debate as part of a larger national struggle over economic transformation and African competitiveness.
He spoke repeatedly of producing “problem-solvers, innovators, creators and ethical leaders” — language clearly aimed at presenting his administration as future-facing despite criticism over economic hardship at home.
The numbers he unveiled were equally political.
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In a detailed accounting of government spending, the President highlighted what he described as unprecedented investment in education: nearly 30% of the national budget allocated to the sector, with spending rising from KSh 500 billion in 2022 to KSh 767 billion projected for the 2026/2027 financial year.
He pointed to the recruitment of more than 100,000 teachers in three years, alongside the construction of 23,000 classrooms and 1,600 science laboratories nationwide.
For allies of the President, the figures reinforce the image of an administration determined to prioritise long-term human capital development.
For critics, however, they may deepen questions about fiscal sustainability at a time when many Kenyans are grappling with rising taxes and economic strain.
Significantly, Dr Ruto acknowledged that Maseno’s physical infrastructure had failed to keep pace with its academic reputation — a rare admission that some of Kenya’s elite public schools remain symbols of excellence operating under mounting resource pressure.
His pledge to work with the school’s administration and alumni to modernise facilities was more than a promise of renovation. It was also a signal that the government intends to politically reclaim elite national schools as showcases for its development agenda.
Throughout the address, the President returned repeatedly to one central argument: that education remains the ultimate instrument of state-building.
And in perhaps the speech’s most striking passage, he suggested that the future of Africa itself may depend on whether institutions such as Maseno can continue producing “courageous thinkers” and “transformative leaders” capable not merely of preserving history, but of redefining the continent’s place in the world.
For a president confronting both economic scepticism and political resistance, the message was unmistakable.
This was not merely a school anniversary speech.
It was an attempt to frame the battle for Kenya’s future as a battle over ideas, institutions and historical legitimacy — with Maseno School cast as both witness to the past and instrument of the state’s ambitions for the future.
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