KISUMU, Kenya — President William Ruto has defended his administration’s education reforms and urged Kenyans to reject pessimism, insisting the country is making steady progress despite criticism surrounding the state of the education sector.
Speaking on Saturday during the 120th anniversary celebrations of Maseno School in Kisumu County, the President said his government had made major investments aimed at addressing longstanding challenges in schools across the country.
“In our lifetime, we are going to change our country. I have so much belief in it,” Ruto said.
“Don’t worry about the naysayers. Don’t worry about the pessimists and the people who see nothing good,” he added.
The Head of State questioned critics who continue to describe the education sector as being in crisis despite the government’s recent recruitment of teachers and expansion of school infrastructure.
“Because I sometimes wonder when I see people say how much of a crisis we have in education. There was no crisis when we had a shortage of 100,000 teachers. Now that we have hired 100,000 teachers, there is a crisis,” he said.
“There was no crisis when there was a shortage of classrooms. Now that we have built 23,000 classrooms in three years, all of a sudden, there is a crisis, really?” he posed.
President Ruto called on Kenyans to focus on solutions rather than blame, saying national transformation would require unity, shared responsibility, and optimism.
“I don’t know why people always want to see the glass as half empty, not half full. There is always a contribution each and every one of us can make,” he said.
“Finger-pointing, blame games, and assigning other people blame will not solve our problems.”
The President also appealed for moral leadership across all sectors, urging politicians, professionals and ordinary citizens alike to play a constructive role in nation-building.
“We need godly leaders across the board, those of us in politics and those of us in other areas,” he said.
President Ruto further challenged Kenyans to reflect on their own contribution toward national development before criticising others.
“There are no angels that will come from anywhere. It is us. Before you ask the next person what they have done, please have a meeting with yourself and ask yourself, what have you done before you point fingers at others,” he said.
The President maintained that faith in God, national unity, and confidence in Kenya’s potential would remain central to his administration’s development agenda.
