NAIROBI, Kenya — National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has called on the Ministry of Education to urgently address persistent teacher shortages in rural schools through equitable and needs-based deployment.
Speaking at St. Francis Kolongolo Girls Secondary School in Kwanza Constituency, Wetang’ula raised concern that staffing imbalances continue to disadvantage learners in marginalised regions despite ongoing recruitment efforts.
“Today, I raised serious concerns regarding the acute shortage of teachers in rural schools and called upon the Ministry of Education to urgently address this imbalance through equitable staff distribution,” he said.
The Speaker urged Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to ensure that deployment decisions are guided by actual school needs rather than preferences for urban postings.
Wetang’ula noted that the government has already recruited more than 100,000 teachers and plans to hire an additional 20,000, but said the continued disparities undermine gains made in improving the national teacher-to-learner ratio.
He cited Kolongolo Secondary School as an example, saying the institution faces a shortage of up to 28 teachers, a situation he described as unacceptable.
“It is unacceptable for Kolongolo Secondary and other rural schools to have such shortages,” he said.
While acknowledging efforts by President William Ruto’s administration to strengthen the education sector, Wetang’ula maintained that inequalities between urban and rural schools remain a major challenge.
Education stakeholders have previously warned that uneven distribution of teachers contributes to poor learning outcomes in rural and arid regions, where schools often struggle to attract and retain staff due to limited infrastructure and amenities.
Wetang’ula called for urgent corrective measures to ensure fairness and improve learning conditions, stressing that equitable access to teachers is critical to achieving national education goals.
Beyond education, the Speaker urged leaders in Trans Nzoia County to avoid divisive politics and instead promote unity, noting that the region reflects Kenya’s diverse and cosmopolitan character.
The call adds to growing pressure on education authorities to not only expand recruitment but also address systemic disparities in deployment to ensure all learners benefit equally from government investment in education.
