By Habil Onyango
United Green Movement (UGM) has been on a countrywide tour sensitizing Kenyans about voter registration, popularizing their party and that of their presidential candidate David Maraga ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Katiba Caravan tour comes amid outcry by Kenyans about the hard economic situation, including the rise in the cost of various commodities including fuel.
On Tuesday, the Maraga-led team visited Homa Bay County, where they warned Kenyans against re-electing President Ruto, alleging that he has messed up the country’s economy, including education and health sectors.
According to Maraga, giving President Ruto another opportunity to rule the country will lead to further messing up of the country’s economy, which is currently on its deathbed.
“You all know what is currently happening with the current government we are having. Our economy is currently at its worst state; the fuel prices have gone up, which has led to everything rising,” he said.
The former Chief Justice added that the introduction of CBE was done without proper consultations with stakeholders.
CBE is a learning system which focuses on practical skills, creativity and continuous assessment rather than one-time examinations. It comprises two years of Pre-Primary, six years of Primary, three years of Junior School (grades 7-9), three years of Senior School (grades 10-12), and emphasizes 60 per cent classroom assessment.
“President Ruto messed up by approving the introduction of the Competency Based Education (CBE) and Social Health Authority (SHA), which have completely failed and have interfered with our education and health sectors,” said Maraga.
“As I was reading the papers, there were reports about teachers going on strike. The cause of the confusion we are currently experiencing has led and will continue to destroy the future of our young people,” he said.
“The implementation of the CBE report is being done shoddily just because of personal interest, which has led to the confusion we are currently in,” he said.
Maraga said the government ought to have carried out proper consultation and research before coming up with such a programme, instead of hurriedly introducing and implementing it.
There have been challenges raised by parents concerning CBC, ranging from high cost of learning materials to rising school levies.
Teachers have also reported a shortage of teaching materials and feel unprepared for the Senior School transition, which requires specialized equipment and training.
“When changing from one system of education to another, you must ensure that there are readily trained teachers, which was not done, and it has led to the current mess we are in,” he asserted.
The presidential hopeful, however, told Kenyans that he has a proper manifesto to put the country on the right path once elected as the next country CEO.
“With the CBE matter, we will assemble an education team which will guide us on what to do, since they are the experts, and we will embrace and heed their pieces of advice,” he said.
“Once in office, my government will get professionals who will man our institutions, and we will give them mandate and support. We will only demand results. As a great nation, we cannot afford to gamble with the future of our citizens,” he said.
“We will bring parents, learners and scholars on board, and as a team we will decide on the best way to tackle our education, which will be affordable and beneficial to all,” he added.
On SHA, Maraga faulted President Ruto’s government for introducing SHA, which he says has affected the health system and the lives of Kenyans.
He said Kenyans have been suffering under SHA and have failed to get proper medication in various health facilities.
Maraga said the country has faced widespread service disruption, technical system failures and provider debts, which have been causing frustration among workers and patients.
Patients, including teachers and other civil servants, have been facing hitches accessing medical services at various hospitals, with some being turned away or forced to pay cash due to provider frustrations with the system.
“When we have a poor health system, everybody knows the challenges Kenyans face, which has made life unbearable,” he said.
Maraga was accompanied by former Ndhiwa MP Agostinho Netto and the party’s Homa Bay Woman Representative aspirant Elizabeth Ogweno.
Oyugi, who will be vying for the Ndhiwa parliamentary seat on a UGM ticket, hailed Kenyans who participated in the voter registration exercise, saying their effort to create awareness has yielded positive results.
“Homa Bay marks our 43rd county which we have visited since we began our voter registration sensitization programme and popularizing our presidential candidate and the party,” said Oyugi.
