TALKING POINT

The recent decision by the Supreme Court to back Industrial Court order and Court of Appeal’s ruling to award teachers a salary increment of 50-60 per cent was indeed a big win to all public teachers nationwide. The National Treasury has since warned that the taxpayer will have to dig deep into his pockets to raise the Sh 17 billion required to effect teachers’ salary increment. Just recently, the Auditor General, Edward Ouko raised the red flag over massive corruption in National and county governments. The Auditor in his report revealed that expenditures of up to Sh 67 billion were not backed up with proper documentation in counties and national government ministries. PHOTO: Courtesy, Nation Media Group This undeniably was not the first time that an Audit Report exposed graft in the government. There have also been concerns about payment of ‘ghost workers’ and the government losing billions of shillings in procurement processes- the most recent being the Nationa...

Arsonist attacks, mass killings of students by Al Shabaab, drowning of students in the Indian Ocean and the most recent being students having sex in broad day light in a bus and taking alcohol and bhang. These are some of the unfortunate happenings that have dogged the education sector in the recent past. Have we in any way wronged God? I think it’s high time the country held a national prayer meeting to seek for forgiveness from Him. Maybe through this, the education sector will be set free from all these misfortunes. Second worst terrorist attack in Kenya On 2 nd April this year gunmen stormed the Garissa University College at 5am when the students were attending their morning preps and others were sleeping in their dormitories. The terrorists put the college under siege for almost 9 hours. Some of the survivors of Kenya’s second worst terrorist attack after the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Kenya said that the gunmen set free Muslim students and murdered Christians. Ken...

The proposed legislative Bill by Karachuonyo Member of Parliament James Rege to have national examinations for primary and secondary schools scrapped off is long overdue. Once students are through with national exams, they vow never to look back at their books. Some set their books on fire in what they call ‘academic fire’ after sitting for their final exams in secondary school. This is a clear signal that they do not value what they learn in school. It demonstrates that they are compelled to study to pass exams. Completing the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Examinations to many is usually a sign of freedom, freedom from intense studying. This is a clear indication that students only read to pass exams and not to gain anything to help them contribute positively towards entrepreneurial innovations that offer self-employment and solutions to problems facing the society such as the pricking unemployment rate in the country. The 8-4-4 education system can well...

It is two year and a few months since devolution set its foot in 47 counties in the country. Many have hailed devolution, pegging their arguments on resources reaching the common mwananchi unlike before when we had the central government controlling all the resources and managing all development projects across the country. It is true that a lot has changed, thanks to devolution. Many have gotten jobs-the youth and semi-skilled persons through various projects in the counties- road constructions, building of offices for county chiefs, water projects- just to mention a few. But on the other hand, concerns have been raised on how Governors, County Executive Officers and Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) engage in excessive expenditures of county funds. They have spent millions of shillings on trips abroad and uncalled for allowances while performing duties they are already paid for. The governors have however refuted claims of graft in their counties. They launched their “Okoa Ke...