Wamuchomba Calls on Ruto to Sack Education CS Ogamba and Top Ministry Officials
Githunguri Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba has strongly criticized the Ministry of Education, calling on President William Ruto to immediately dismiss Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and his principal secretaries over what she described as incompetence and failure to act on Parliament’s decisions.
Speaking on Wednesday, January 28, during a legislative retreat held in Naivasha, Nakuru County, Wamuchomba accused the ministry of completely ignoring a motion she introduced in the National Assembly, which was debated, approved, and adopted by MPs.
According to Wamuchomba, the motion required the Ministry of Education to issue clear and uniform guidelines to headteachers regarding school uniform policies. However, despite Parliament’s approval, the matter remains unresolved more than two years later.
“Through your guidance and leadership, Mr Speaker, I tabled a motion on school uniforms in this House. It was debated, and the Education Committee directed the ministry to give clear guidance to headteachers. It is very disappointing that two years later, nothing has been done,” Wamuchomba said.
She expressed frustration that lawmakers are now facing backlash from voters due to the ministry’s failure to act, arguing that MPs are being unfairly blamed for issues beyond their control.
“In simple terms, the CS is making us look like we do not work. We are the ones being attacked by our voters, yet when he appears before this House, he keeps saying the Teachers Service Commission has not implemented some administrative regulation.
As the mover of that motion, I am not satisfied, and I believe this minister and his PSs should be fired immediately,” she added.
Wamuchomba was referring to the Uniforms Bill, which sought to reform how school uniforms are managed in the country.
The proposed law aimed to give parents the freedom to buy school uniforms from any supplier of their choice, instead of being forced to purchase them directly from schools—a practice that has often raised concerns about high costs and lack of transparency.
During the same retreat, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah also raised serious concerns about the leadership of the Ministry of Education, particularly in the basic education sector. However, unlike Wamuchomba, he stopped short of calling for the dismissal of the ministry’s top officials.
Ichung’wah accused one of the ministry’s principal secretaries of being disconnected from the realities faced by schools across the country. He argued that major decisions affecting schools are being made from Nairobi without a clear understanding of the challenges on the ground.
He further questioned how infrastructure funds are distributed, pointing out that some constituencies with only a few schools receive the same funding as areas with a much higher number of learning institutions, raising concerns about fairness and equity.
The Majority Leader also highlighted serious imbalances in teacher deployment. He noted that some schools with fewer than 100 pupils have over 28 teachers, while other schools with enrolments exceeding 600 learners remain severely understaffed due to deployment preferences and poor planning.
“These are the issues, CS. You and your PS have a clueless PS in the Ministry of Education. He sits in Nairobi and has no idea what is happening on the ground,” Ichung’wah said, urging ministry officials to leave their offices and engage directly with schools to better understand the real challenges facing teachers, learners, and parents.
The sharp criticism from senior lawmakers underscores growing frustration within Parliament over the Ministry of Education’s performance and its handling of key reforms meant to ease the burden on parents and improve the quality of education across the country.
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