President William Ruto has strongly rebuked former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over his remarks on the placement of Grade 10 learners into national schools, accusing him of attempting to inject tribal politics into the education system.
Speaking on Thursday, January 8, during the NYOTA capital disbursement event in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, President Ruto warned against politicizing education, insisting that schools must remain spaces of unity and equal opportunity for all Kenyan children.
He criticised leaders he said were using ethnicity to advance personal political agendas at the expense of national cohesion.
“We do not want any county, any region, any community or any person to be left behind. We must move together as one person,” Ruto said.
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“Let nobody divide our children based on whether they are Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya or Kalenjin. Anyone without a clear agenda will resort to selling tribal politics.”
The Head of State accused his former deputy of spreading hate and attempting to influence the ongoing Grade 10 placement exercise along ethnic lines, warning that such actions could undermine fairness and meritocracy in the education sector.
According to Ruto, the placement process is guided by clear policies meant to ensure equal treatment for learners from all backgrounds.
In a pointed appeal, the President urged politicians to keep children out of political battles, arguing that learners should be allowed to focus on their studies without being dragged into divisive debates.
“They have now gone to our schools to divide our children. How desperate can you be?” Ruto posed. “Let our children be. Let our children learn. These children are Kenyans first, regardless of the community they come from.”
The remarks come amid heightened political tension following Gachagua’s recent criticism of school placements, particularly in the Mount Kenya region.
The issue has sparked national debate, with education stakeholders calling for calm and respect for established placement criteria as the country transitions to the new Grade 10 cohort under the competency-based curriculum.
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