Willis Otieno slams govt for claiming free education is unaffordable
Lawyer Willis Otieno has criticised the government over its claim that providing free education and healthcare is unaffordable, despite routinely paying trillions of shillings to service public debt.
In a statement on Monday, July 28, 2025, Otieno questioned the government’s priorities, noting that it has been able to mobilise over Ksh2 trillion annually to settle both domestic and foreign debt, much of which, he said, is odious or the product of grand corruption.
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“The Kenyan government can afford to pay Ksh2 trillion to service debt, much of it odious and stolen, but claims it can’t raise Ksh344 billion to make education and healthcare free for all Kenyans,” he stated.
Furthermore, he stated that legacy politicians who have dominated Kenya’s political landscape for decades are he architects of the country’s stagnation.
“Legacy politicians are the architects of Kenya’s stagnation. They romanticise struggle while sitting on stolen wealth, chant democracy while silencing dissent, and sell hope they’ve never delivered, he stated.
Otieno accused veteran leaders of manipulating historical narratives to maintain their grip on power, even as they fail to deliver on their promises.
He likened them to bad debt, recycled repeatedly, adding no value, just burdening the future.
“They recycle themselves like bad debt, no fresh ideas, just old faces in new slogans. They fear new leadership because it threatens the comfort of impunity,” he stated.
Additionally, he urged Kenyans to reject what he termed “dynastic entitlement and name-brand arrogance,” asserting that the country’s future could no longer be mortgaged to a few powerful families and political cartels.
“Enough with dynastic entitlement and name-brand arrogance. Kenya deserves leaders, not relics.
It’s time to retire the past and fight for a future that actually serves the people.”
Mbadi
His remarks come days after the Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced that the government can no longer afford to provide free primary and secondary education, which has raised concerns among Kenyans about the future of education in the country.
Appearing before the National Assembly committee on July 24, the CS claimed that free basic education was no longer sustainable, citing the increased number of students in schools and constrained fiscal resources.
He also said that the capitation grant for secondary schools would now be Ksh16,900 per child, down from Ksh22,244.
“Currently, learners are provided with tuition and operations costs at the rate of Ksh1,420 for primary education. For junior school, it is Ksh15,042 per child, and in senior secondary school, it is Ksh22,244 per child,” he stated.
“However, due to constrained fiscal space and other emerging priorities within the education sector, updating these rates might be untenable. The government will, however, consider reviewing this rate should revenue performance improve.”
