President William Ruto has announced a significant reduction in school fees for students in insecurity-prone areas of Kerio Valley.
Under this new initiative, parents will now only pay Ksh5,000 per year, a major drop from the previous Ksh30,000. This decision comes as part of Ruto’s ongoing three-day working visit to the North Rift region.
The primary goal of this initiative is to boost the enrolment of students in schools located in areas that face severe challenges such as insecurity and floods.
Many families in the region struggle with these ongoing issues, which severely impact their ability to pay for education.
Recognizing this, President Ruto explained that the fee reduction was introduced to help support these families during difficult times.
“This area is heavily impacted by insecurity, floods, and economic hardships, and we understand the financial constraints that families face,” President Ruto stated.
“To ease the burden, we have agreed that, for a set period, parents will only need to pay Ksh5,000 annually, which breaks down to Ksh1,500 each term.”
The reduced fees will apply to schools in three counties: Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, and Baringo. The President made the announcement while opening the new Liter Girls Secondary School in Marakwet East Sub-County, which had been devastated by mudslides in 2020, resulting in the tragic loss of 15 lives.
“By building new schools and reducing fees, we aim to increase student enrolment and enhance education in these areas that have long been affected by insecurity and natural disasters,” President Ruto explained further.
The fee reduction will initially be implemented in a pilot program, covering 10 secondary schools in the Kerio Valley region, including Liter and Cheptulel Secondary schools located in Sigor, West Pokot County.
Additionally, President Ruto announced plans to reopen 26 schools that had been forced to close due to security concerns in the area.
To further stabilize the region, he directed the Ministry of Interior to construct permanent barracks for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the police, with the aim of combating banditry and ensuring long-term peace and security in the region.
The President also took the opportunity to congratulate students who excelled in the recent Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams, particularly those who performed well in science subjects.
He attributed this success to the ongoing recruitment of more teachers and the expansion of educational infrastructure across the country.
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