Raila wants counties to take charge of schools

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has called for the transfer of education functions from the national government to the counties.

Mr Odinga said counties should handle education matters in their jurisdictions, arguing that the regional governments were better placed to understand the needs of the institutions.

However, the core function of hiring teachers and their remuneration should remain with the national government, he said.

Counties should be allowed to monitor, transfer and post teachers as they are in a good position to determine staffing needs, he said.

“We want the county governments to handle the education sector,” Mr Odinga said on Sunday at a funds drive in Malaba, Busia.
That would help in improving education standards, he said.

PARTIAL DEVOLUTION

However, Kericho Senator Charles Keter said the education sector cannot be devolved partially.

Mr Keter said any function that is devolved to the counties has to be fully transferred.

He said that funds set aside for a particular department cannot be divided between the two levels of government hence teachers would have to take over all functions if education was to be devolved.

However, the county governments have no capacity to handle properly all the teachers’ issues, hence the function should remain with the national government, he argued.

“Money follows functions and so to say that we are devolving education would mean that we send all the monies to the counties for them also to hire and pay teachers.”