Willis Otieno blasts blind loyalty for undermining Kenya’s education and future
By Faith Lagat, July 26, 2025Willis Otieno has, on Saturday, July 26, 2025, set off a storm online after posting a hard-hitting message about the state of education in Kenya.
Through his official X account, Otieno wrote, “Education isn’t a luxury; it’s the foundation of any serious economy. It fuels human capital, drives innovation, and sustains productivity. When you destroy education, you destroy the future. That’s exactly what your blind loyalty has helped achieve.”
His remarks have since gone viral, triggering widespread public reflection and debate. Many Kenyans saw the message as a wake-up call on misplaced national priorities, particularly in the face of mounting frustration over dwindling support for the Free Day Secondary Education programme.
Capitation shortfalls
Otieno’s sentiments mirror the growing concern over recent revelations by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, who admitted during a thanksgiving event at God Oloo Secondary School in Suba South that the government is no longer meeting the full Ksh22,000 per learner capitation.
“The challenge we face as a country is that we shy away from confronting the truth. The reality is that fully funding free secondary education has become unsustainable,” Mbadi said. He revealed that only Ksh17,000 per student is being disbursed, despite the program being a flagship promise of accessible education.
“Since the introduction of free day secondary school, the government has not been able to give or allocate every student Ksh22,000; the government disperses all the amount allocated in the budget, but still it is not enough,” he said.
“The only thing I did was to confirm that we have allocated so much budget and we are giving it in full, but it is not enough to give every child in Kenya Ksh22,000. That budget, if you divide it by the number of students in Kenya who are in senior secondary school, you will only get Ksh17,000.”
This disclosure has drawn heavy criticism, with many Kenyans accusing the state of prioritising political interests over fundamental rights.
Govt defends programme
In response to the growing uproar, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok reassured the public that the free education program remains in place.
Speaking during an event at St. Thomas Girls Secondary School in Kilifi County, Bitok said the government was committed to funding the sector, even with a Ksh702 billion education budget that continues to fall short. “The government will continue financing education through capitation as it has been over the years,” he said, calling for additional support from Parliament.
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro also weighed in, expressing concern over growing wasteful expenditures. While addressing youth at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa on July 25, he echoed Otieno’s economic argument. “Mambo ya free basic education, we are not begging from anyone. We are demanding that it must continue,” he said, urging a return to people-centred budgeting. “The economy can only grow when education is accessible, of quality, and available to all.”
As the country faces Ksh876.1 billion budget deficit, Otieno’s message has added urgency to the call for responsible governance. The debate now shifts to whether the government can balance fiscal realities with its constitutional obligation to provide free quality education for all.