Unions Accuse CS Ezekiel Machogu of False Announcements

Thursday, June 29, 2023 –Teachers’ unions in the country have accused Education Cabinet Secretary CS Ezekiel Machogu of making false announcement to parents and school heads even as many schools remain in dire financial shortage.

Kenya National Union of Teachers KNUT Deputy Secretary General Hesbon Otieno, speaking on Thursday June 29 morning, said, soon, headteachers will pass the fee burden to parents since government is not releasing the allocation.

Otieno who was addressing this matter on Radio Citizen took issues with CS Machogu for not taking the financial issue serious as schools continue suffering.

As of now, he claimed, many parents believe in what the CS said recently; that money had been transferred to schools; a situation that has pitted parents against principals.

“When the government is saying that they have disbursed funds to schools, the parents believe the government more than they believe the school principals.

“When the Education CS says that the government has disbursed the capitation, parents think the principals are lying yet they cannot buy necessities like books and food for the schools,” stated Mr Otieno.

He, therefore, seized the opportunity to caution the CS against inciting parents on things the government had not delivered to schools.

Otieno further argued that Machogu had turned the whole matter into politics to make happy the parents while principals suffer on the other hand.

“This is just politics to show that the government is working. The principals will have no choice but to increase the fees,” DSG added.

If this situation persists, the Deputy Sec Gen noted that principals will be left with no other alternative but to ask parents to step in.

“For the school to run efficiently, there is no other way to get these funds. The only other option is to go back to the parents and tell them the truth. The principals have to go and find that money from the parents,” Mr. Otieno further stated.

Mr. Otieno advised the cabinet secretary to help school principals run institutions instead of making work harder for most of them.

This, he noted, could also have ripple effect on the overall education standards in many schools around the country.