Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has called for a broad-based national dialogue on Kenya’s education sector, urging President William Ruto to engage in structured talks aimed at addressing persistent challenges facing schools and learners.

Speaking on the state of education, the Jubilee deputy party leader has emphasised the need for inclusive discussions involving all political formations, arguing that education should not be treated as a partisan issue but as a national priority that requires collective responsibility.

“I hope William Ruto will see it as a genuine and sincere need for us to have an all parties conversation on the Education Sector in the country,” Matiang’i said.

His remarks come amid ongoing debates over funding gaps in schools, implementation of competency-based curriculum (CBC), teacher staffing shortages, and rising concerns from parents and education stakeholders over the rising cost of learning.

At the same time, Matiang’i has stressed that sustained reforms in the sector can only succeed if there is consensus among political leaders, education experts, and other stakeholders.

“The state of the Education is a crisis and it will blow up sooner than we think because when we see the number of kids we lose school 21, burning to ashes, 16 dead,” Matiang’i stated.

“This is my unsolicited advice to the President, to appoint a Principal Secretary in charge of transition under the new curriculum to focus on how CBC is implemented,” he said.

Further warning that frequent policy shifts without broad agreement risk destabilising learning outcomes and undermining long-term planning in schools.

Unrest in schools

Meanwhile, the debate around the current state of education comes up days after the Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok ruled out an early midterm break despite a growing wave of student unrest that has forced several schools to close, insisting that learning will continue uninterrupted in institutions that remain stable.

Speaking during the Speech and Prize-Giving Day at Kenya High School in Nairobi, Bitok said the Ministry of Education would instead intensify dialogue with learners, strengthen guidance and counselling programmes, and conduct safety audits across schools to address emerging concerns.

“Unrest in few schools is being contained through enhanced dialogue with learners and nationwide audit of safety standards,” his office announced.

His remarks come amid mounting pressure on education authorities following a series of student unrest incidents and school fires reported across the country in recent weeks.

The PS acknowledged growing concerns over discipline and safety in learning institutions, particularly in the wake of the deadly dormitory fire at Utumishi Girls Senior Secondary School in Gilgil that claimed the lives of 16 students.

The tragedy has reignited national debate over school safety standards, student welfare, and the effectiveness of existing mechanisms for addressing grievances in schools.