Former Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) boss Irungu Nyakera has criticised President William Ruto’s government for what he terms as unnecessary interference in Kenya’s education system. Speaking during a local radio interview on Friday, November 7, 2025, Nyakera argued that the sector was functioning effectively before recent policy changes disrupted its stability.
“Education is the only thing that makes the children of the rich and those of the poor sit at the same table. It is an equaliser,” Nyakera said. “I don’t even think that the President needed to fix it because it was working. He just needed to sustain it.”
Nyakera, who also serves as the Patron of the Nairobi DCP, noted that Kenya’s education system from primary to tertiary levels — had long been effective, offering opportunities for all learners. However, he expressed concern that recent reforms and administrative decisions have made learning more difficult for students and burdensome for parents.
“If you look at all levels of education, they were working. But for the last two years, schools have not been allowing students to sit for exams if they have fee arrears,” he said, criticising the government for failing to protect vulnerable learners.
Rising Cost of Education
Nyakera further decried the increasing cost of education, noting that parents, especially those in public day schools, are now forced to cover expenses that were once funded by the government.
“The minister has already made it clear that from next year, parents will be paying higher fees. Look at day schools from next year, they will be paying Ksh19,000,” he revealed.
He warned that if this trend continues, education risks becoming a privilege rather than a basic right. “We have moved from education being a right to education being a privilege,” Nyakera lamented, calling on the Ruto administration to rethink its approach and prioritise sustaining policies that worked for Kenyan families.
