Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has come out to defend his recent remarks regarding the placement of students to Mt Kenya schools, stating that students from the Central region also deserve to study in top schools.
Addressing a rally in Nyeri County on Thursday, January 8, he said his comments had been misinterpreted, explaining that learning opportunities should be distributed equitably across the country.
Even as he advocated for fairness and equal treatment in the Grade 10 placement process, Gachagua maintained that students from particular regions should be given priority.
"All the children in this country are equal, but children from this region should be given priority during the placement, without excluding those from other regions," Gachagua stated.
He maintained that the placement of Grade 10 learners to national schools should be done transparently without bias, dismissing claims that his remarks on the placement of learners were political.
Gachagua also accused President William Ruto of sowing confusion within the education sector and faulted Mt Kenya leaders for what he described as their silence on the school placement issue.
Ruto Lectures Gachagua Over Grade 10 Placement
His remarks followed moments after the Head of State lectured him over the matter, with President Ruto accusing his former deputy of reportedly spreading hate and tribal politics through the education system.
Ruto, who spoke on the same day during the disbursement of NYOTA funds in Uasin Gishu County, warned the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader to keep out of tribal politics in schools.
He accused Gachagua of allegedly attempting to politicise the ongoing Grade 10 placement along tribal lines, insisting that such remarks risked eroding fairness in the education system.
"They have now gone to our schools to divide our children in schools. How desperate are you? Let our children be. Let our children learn. Those children are Kenyans regardless of the community they belong to," Ruto posed.
The latest war of words stems from Gachagua's recent remarks in which he called on school heads from Mt Kenya to prioritise placing Grade 10 learners who are from the region.
In his speech, Gachagua questioned why students from other regions were being placed in high-performing schools located within Mt Kenya region.
Gachagua, while criticising the placement criteria, labelled it as unfair and confused, linking it to the broader challenges facing the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
