State targets abusers of children in Central region

Central Region Director of Education Milton Nzioka has declared total war on sex pests behind teen pregnancies, supporters of gangsterism, illicit brew sellers and narcotics dealers.

Mr Nzioka told Nation.Africa that he took over the region that comprises Murang’a, Nyandarua, Kiambu, Kirinyaga and Nyeri counties in April fully aware of the challenges he faced.

“I have specifically been told of schoolchildren already indoctrinated in crime, alcoholism among education officers, politicisation of the sector and things of that nature. Mine is to partner with stakeholders to address the challenges,” he said.

The Central region security committee is cracking down underage gangs that specialise in brewing illicit brews, transporting and selling narcotics, robberies and muggings.

It is also targeting gangs involved in defiling children. Three suspects have been gunned down in the past three months.   

Central Regional Commissioner Esther Maina told the Nation that police and administrators "have been very specific that we must get rid of those negative influences in the education path of our children”. 

“Unless we have officers who don't comprehend orders, it is total war against anyone and anything that seeks to derail the core path of our children's development," he said.

Ms Maina said they "want to make it clear that out schools are not sex, illicit labour and gangsterism markets for adult criminals".

Mr Nzioka said the challenges in education are not unique to the region as they reflect “the national picture and are being addressed as a government challenge”.

He said security agencies, parents, clerics, politicians, administrators and the media must be involved to tackle the challenges. 

“We should never lose [sight of] the fact that the child remains our country’s most valued investment and its safety, empowerment and protection is not negotiable,” he said.

Other challenges cited in the Central region’s education sector are fractious tendering processes, low morale, early pregnancies and many young people avoiding vocational training in favour of quick money as boda boda operators or in criminal schemes.

For instance, some administrators are reported to be conspiring with directors of education to grab tender businesses.

"We have some administrators undertaking construction of Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms that are underway ... Some took the tenders through proxies and they have defaulted on completion," claimed a headteacher in Murang'a South sub-county. 

The teacher told Nation.Africa that "after defaulting, since the administrators are the ones supervising the projects on behalf of the Education ministry, reports will be made to justify more allocation of funds and the cartels will make a rip-off against taxpayers".

Murang'a South, the teacher said, has at least 10 such projects where the government has been manipulated to rule them fit for more funding.

Other managers told Nation.Africa that the education sector is facing a serious challenge in managing unique personal identification and birth certificates.

The process, they alleged, is corrupted to create vacancies in schools that are later sold to patents. 

One manager in Kirinyaga County said that instead of Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha “asking us to explain in an engaging manner the challenges bedevilling us, he comes to humiliate us”.

Other challenges include low financing for field officers.

Former Education Chief Administrative Secretary Zack Kinuthia told Nation.Africa that the Ministry of Education had lobbied Parliament to increase financing to sub-county education directors from the current Sh405,000 to Sh40 million monthly – an increase of 98.9 percent.

They argued that this would give them more flexibility and greater reach in supervising day to day operations in schools.

“The request was ignored in the 2021/22 budget. We need parents to elect to power many who understand the challenges the education sector suffers,” Mr Kinuthia said.  

“Most of the challenges are not a creation of teachers and students … They emanate from poorly thought-out policies at the legislative level.”

Mr Nzioka, the Central region education director, said underfunding had taken a toll on quality supervision.

He said some county education directors do not have field vehicles for their offices and for their sub-county assistants.

“And where the vehicles are available, the budget is not enough to maintain them and hence they are grounded. We cannot expect our officers to spend [their own money] to execute their mandate," Mr Nzioka said 

Mr Kinuthia said it is insensitive to keep warning teachers of dire consequences if they impose additional levies aimed at facilitating field work when in appraisal forms one of the measurable actions is how deep an inspection was.

“Ordinarily, to save their jobs, they must strive to meet the set standards in the appraisals. If field penetration is one of the [required] deliverables and we have not facilitated them, it means they must get creative to raise funds for onsite visits. This is one of the catalysts of corrupt engagements in our school system,” he said.

Mr Nzioka, who has been tagged Prof Magoha's Mr Fix-It, told Nation.Africa that he is the new broom that will sweep away the challenges.

"Prof Magoha is my boss, yes, and a man I respect as my line boss … But my recent postings do not in any way justify the tag Mr Fix-It. It is a coincidence,” he told Nation.Africa.

Eyebrows were raised when Prof Magoha on August 30 last year gave Mr John Lekakeny, then the regional director of education (RDE) in the Rift Valley, a nasty public dressing-down in Baringo County.

The CS was in Baringo to inspect the implementation of the 100 percent primary to secondary school transition policy and found that it was lagging at 80 percent.

He accused Mr Lekakeny of failing to notice the trend. 

“If you want to resign and go into politics, do so now. I am telling you in public that I will not take it,” the CS remarked. And it has come to pass that indeed CS Magoha had information that Mr Lekakeny was harbouring political ambitions.

Prof Magoha’s promoting Mr Nzioka from county director of education to RDE in Central Kenya was symbolic – he was appointed to replace another officer who had received similar public shaming from the CS.

The CS had on November 6, 2020 toured Langas sub-county in Uasin Gishu and blasted Dr Gitonga Mbaka, who was the area’s director of education as “foolish”. Dr Mbaka had served in Kenya’s education sector for 35 years.

Because of the incident, the Public Service Commission (PSC) announced it had withdrawn Prof Magoha’s powers to manage human resources.

When Dr Mbaka retired in March 2021, Prof Magoha appointed Mr Nzioka to replace him as county director of education in Uasin Gishu.

Ten months later, he promoted him to replace Mr Lekakeny, prompting the perception that the two are more than workmates.

“There is a common denominator in Mr Nzioka and CS Magoha … It appears the two have a unique chemistry that is breeding these coincidences around Mr Nzioka in quick succession,” quipped a senior education administrator in the Nairobi head office.

“Every time CS Magoha has gone for his cards, he comes out with the one marked Nzioka.”  

But Mr Nzioka rejected the inferences. “That is not true. Coincidence happens. But all in all, I am qualified and I venture into the region to serve our education sector as a team leader. I am more concerned now with the task ahead,” he said.

Both Dr Mbaka and Mr Lekakeny have announced publicly that they harbour no ill feelings for the CS and they have forgiven him. 

Turbo sub-county Director of Education Richard Ng’ang’a dismissed the Magoha factor in Mr Nzioka’s recent fortunes.

“I would rather advise you to view him as a very accommodative manager and the Central region should be celebrating. He is a committed officer who is my immediate boss and whose first duty is to induce cohesiveness in the way his jurisdiction works,” he said.

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