Dorcas Rigathi raises alarm over Kenya’s education crisis
By Mustafa Juma, July 26, 2025Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s spouse, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, has raised concerns over the current state of Kenya’s education system.
Pastor Dorcas, in a statement shared via her official X account on Saturday, July 26, 2025, warned that ongoing funding cuts and a rigid university financing model are pushing the sector toward collapse.
The former second lady stated that while accompanying her husband, Gachagua, during an official engagement with Kenyan professionals living in the United States, she emphasised that education—one of the nation’s most vital pillars—is being undermined by poor leadership and lack of reform.
Diaspora’s concerns
She noted that they had engaged with Kenyan teachers, healthcare professionals, and community workers living in the U.S., and that, just like other Kenyans, they are deeply concerned about the dangerous path the country’s education sector is taking.
“While in Baltimore, Maryland, I accompanied my husband, HE Rigathi Gachagua, and we engaged with Kenyan teachers, healthcare professionals, and community workers living in the U.S. Like us, they’re deeply concerned about the dangerous path our education sector is taking, i.e., cuts in funding and a stagnant university financing model that threatens to undermine one of our nation’s most vital pillars. Education shapes destiny,” she stated.
“Yet, due to poor leadership and disregard, we’re watching the system crumble, risking the future of generations and generations. We must not allow anyone to carelessly tamper with the very roots of our nation.”
She went ahead to thank the Kenyan diaspora for their patriotism and support, acknowledging their concerns about the path Kenya’s education sector is taking.
She also called on national leaders and stakeholders to take urgent steps to reform funding mechanisms and ensure that universities and learning institutions are well-equipped to deliver quality education.
“Thank you to our educators abroad for your passion, patriotism, and unwavering support for Kenya,” she wrote on X.
Govt’s assurance
Her statement comes hours after the government moved to reassure Kenyans that the Free Day Secondary Education program remains fully in place, dismissing concerns raised after top officials admitted to severe funding gaps during a parliamentary session.
In a statement released on Saturday, July 26, 2025, and posted on X by Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba clarified that basic education remains a constitutional right under Article 53 and that the government has neither the intention nor the legal power to withdraw or limit the program.