Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i has insisted that conservatives opposed to the new rules in the Ministry of Education are behind the recent fire outbreaks in several schools across the county.
Matiang’i has been under pressure to take responsibility by resigning following the torching of several schools, with the Opposition, Cord, accusing him of being incompetent, but he exonerated himself as the chief culprit..
Speaking in Nyamira on Saturday during a funeral ceremony, the CS said those opposed to his radical changes were desperately scheming to portray him as incompetent.
“I am an educationist and I know what it takes to invest in a school. I have nothing to do with the fires and it’s only the few conservatives who are opposed to the changes in the Ministry of Education who want to make me look bad,” he said.
“People do not want changes and are only comfortable if the status quo is maintained. I will push for more changes because we want accountability in management of institutions. We cannot allow exam cheating and the cartels behind all those atrocities behind a weak education system should quit,” he added.
He urged politicians to desist from politicising management of schools and also warned students against unrest.
“We should not politicise sensitive issues like these fires. We all know that people are afraid of changes and I want to warn students who may be found culpable of stern actions. It’s my appeal that we join hands regardless of our political persuasions to root out the merchants of impunity resisting change in education,” he said.