Nakuru Deputy Governor Joseph Ruto has opposed calls by some county governors to devolve education to counties.
Ruto says that county governments do not have proper mechanisms to handle the education unit and that it should remain the role of the national government.
Speaking in Nakuru, Ruto said that education is a critical unit that needs proper handling before a decision to devolve it is made. He indicated that counties need more resources and funding to handle education.
“County governments are not yet well established to handle the education unit. The unit needs more investment to run it,” he said.
The deputy governor however said that once enough funds are available and appropriate structures in place, the counties can be given the chance to run the unit.
Several county governors have been quoted asking the national government to devolve education to them. They claim that counties have mechanisms to promote education standards at the grassroots levels.
Last month, Kiambu speaker Gathii Irungu said that county governments can handle the sector well and ensure every Kenyan has access to quality education.
However calls to have education devolved have met resistance and opposition with education stakeholders saying that counties have no manpower to handle the unit.