Increased government investment in education in the past two years has started paying off, President William Ruto has said.
The President pointed out that the improved results of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination released on Thursday was evidence of the dividends of investing in schooling.
“The teachers we hired, the facilities we provided and the additional budget we have committed have begun to bear fruit,” he said.
The President was speaking in Elgeyo-Marakwet County when he commissioned the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), Kerio Valley Campus, on Thursday.
“The performance in last year’s KCSE examination is better than in 2023, while in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the performance, too, is better than the previous year. Our girls have also performed better than they did in the past,” he said.
He noted that improved examination performance was made possible by the 56,000 extra teachers the government has employed.
President Ruto also announced that an additional 20,000 teachers are in the process of being recruited.
The President said the government will increase budgetary allocation to KMTC in the next financial year, including KSh600 million to employ 400 tutors.
“This will make sure that every part of Kenya, every constituency and every county, has such facilities, which are equipped and staffed with teachers and lecturers so that we can unlock the potential of health personnel training in various fields,” he said.
Additionally, he said KMTC students are eligible for loans from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
He said the new student-centered higher education funding model has brought financial stability to public universities and saved them from collapsing.
Earlier, President Ruto commissioned Liter Girls High School in Tot, Marakwet East, which was destroyed by a mudslide five years ago.
He called on parents to take advantage of the institution and take their children to school.
“We want this school to have at least 1,000 students,” he said.
The President said the government has allocated KSh100 million for rebuilding other schools in the region to ensure all children return to class.
He announced that the government will build permanent military barracks in the Kerio Valley to ensure security prevails in the region.
On universal health matters, he congratulated Community Health Promoters across the country for the work they are doing in making universal coverage a reality.
He pointed out that Community Health Promoters were the force behind increased registration in Taifa Care, making Elgeyo-Marakwet the third county in Kenya with the highest percentage of Kenyans registered under the Social Health Authority.
In Tot, the President issued 10,000 title deeds to and announced that adjudication for 20,000 more titles is in progress.
Later, President Ruto inspected construction works of the 30km Kapcherop- Kipkundu-Kapyego-Kamelei road in Kibirech.
He also inspected the ongoing construction of Kapcherop Technical and Vocational College in Elgeyo-Marakwet, and broke ground for the construction of Moi’s Bridge-Matunda Water Supply Project in Soy, Uasin Gishu County.
On electricity, the President said KSh500 million has been allocated for Last Mile Connectivity in Kakamega County, adding that the funding will be increased by KSh600 million in the next financial year.
The President pledged to unite the country, cautioning that those who sow seeds of division have no place in Kenya.
Present at the functions were Governors Wisley Rotich (Elgeyo-Marakwet), Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega) and Jonathan Bii (Uasin Gishu), Cabinet Secretaries, MPs and a host of other leaders.
