After the Government, through the Ministry of Education, acknowledged it can no longer fully fund free education in public primary and secondary schools, a clan in Kitui County is appealing to President William Ruto to reconsider the decision, warning that the Ukambani region will be severely impacted.

Speaking in the Kalisasi area of Mwingi Central after being installed as the Kitui chairperson of the Akitutu Clan, Fred Mutua expressed concern over the burden already placed on parents. 

He noted that the high cost of living, recurring droughts, and poor crop yields have left many families struggling to make ends meet.

Mutua warned that adding the financial strain of school fees to already struggling households would destabilize the education sector in the region.

Meanwhile, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, while appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Education on Thursday, stated that the government can no longer afford to fully fund the Ksh.22,000 capitation per secondary school student. 

He said only Ksh16,600 can be managed under current budget constraints, citing the unsustainable financial burden on the State.

In addition to education concerns, Fred also urged the government to allocate more resources to improve the health sector.