Nyoro: Free education is possible – Here’s how we did it in Kiharu

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro with learners during the launch of Kiharu Masomo Bora programme on January 13, 2026 at Maragi Primary School. /ALICE WAITHERA

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has called for the creation of a Day Schools kitty to fund basic education and make it cost-free.

The MP said that providing for the 3.2 million learners currently in senior secondary schools would require just Sh30 billion annually.

“I have demonstrated that there are things we can do collectively as leaders that can go a long way in alleviating challenges in the education sector,” he said.

Speaking on a local TV show, Nyoro explained that MPs could contribute Sh10 billion from the Sh58 billion National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) kitty and consolidate it into a Day Schools fund.

County governments that issue bursaries to needy students could add another Sh10 billion from their equitable share, with a further Sh10 billion coming from the national government.

The fund, he said, would ensure that all Kenyans, regardless of background, access education, including a free feeding programme.

Nyoro’s recent initiative to subsidise education in Kiharu constituency to just Sh500 has drawn praise from residents and mixed reactions from some leaders, who have questioned how he finances his numerous education programmes.

The MP runs the Kiharu Masomo Bora programme, which benefits over 12,000 learners across all 65 day secondary schools.

Learners receive free lunch from Monday to Saturday, including rice and githeri, and enjoy chapati every last Friday of the month.

Additionally, Nyoro has renovated all 112 public primary schools, upgrading classrooms, constructing new ones, and paving compounds with tiles.

The same paving programme is underway in day secondary schools to provide a hygienic and conducive learning environment.

The schools’ improved appearance has been so striking that locals often rent them for weddings on weekends.

Parents have welcomed the development, noting that pupils now return home clean and tidy, reducing the need to heavily wash and scrub uniforms.Students being served chapati and ndengu stew at Mukangu Secondary School. /ALICE WAITHERA

Nyoro borrowed the idea from a visit to South Africa, where he observed well-maintained public day schools and resolved to replicate the model in his constituency.

With limited resources and one of the largest constituencies in Central Kenya, Nyoro devised a cost-effective roadmap for NGCDF-funded projects.

He adopted a labour-based model that bypassed contractors, engaging locals in construction projects.

“First, we trained 150 youths on tile installation because we knew it would be a key component of our plan. Another 150 youths were trained in professional painting,” he explained.

“Using these people, we can do double the work with the same allocation.”

Unlike the usual tendering process, residents provide construction materials and labour.

Nyoro noted that under conventional tendering, a Sh1 million classroom project loses Sh160,000 to VAT, while the contractor earns about Sh300,000 in profit.

“By the time the MP leaves after launching the project, Sh460,000 is already lost. That means the Sh1 million allocation is effectively only Sh500,000,” he said.

By bypassing contractors, all funds go directly into projects, allowing Sh1 million to construct two classrooms under the labour-based model.

While labour-intensive, the approach empowers locals—mostly parents—by providing casual jobs and boosting the local economy.

Following the success of the classroom tiling programme, Nyoro introduced cabro paving in public primary and secondary schools, transforming them into ‘academies’.

The initiative has attracted MPs from across the country to benchmark Kiharu’s NGCDF achievements.

The programme cemented locals’ support for Nyoro, making campaigning unnecessary in the last general election.

His popularity was evident during an incident at Gitui ACK Church, where parishioners shielded him from police during a clash between Kieleweke and Tanga Tanga supporters.

While other MPs focused on re-election campaigns ahead of the 2022 polls, Nyoro travelled the country advocating for the Kenya Kwanza government and former ally President William Ruto.

Despite this, he won 68,256 of 120,000 registered votes, beating four other candidates and becoming the first MP re-elected in Kiharu since Kenneth Matiba, who served until 1997.Gakuyu Primary School in Kiharu constituency. The school recently had its compound paved. /ALICE WAITHERA

Nyoro has also allocated Sh50 million for school laboratories and libraries, and Sh10 million for revision books, reducing additional financial burdens on teachers.

Each school receives Sh50,000 for extracurricular activities.

Teachers with the most improved subjects are awarded annual week-long trips to Mombasa, while principals of top-performing day schools travel to Dubai or Malaysia.

He insists that education drives economic progress, explaining that his focus on educational programmes supports other sectors.

“Education adds value to human capital, improving productivity per person and raising wealth,” Nyoro said.

“Kenya has a population of 50 million, like South Korea, yet the latter’s wealth per person is USD36,000, while Kenya’s is only USD3,000.”

Nyoro urged the government to view individual Kenyans as units of the economy, emphasising that national growth depends on the productivity of households and firms.

Responding to critics, he acknowledged that challenges differ across regions but maintained that his work demonstrates that free education is achievable.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino defended Nyoro, arguing that as long as the programmes benefit students, questions about funding are irrelevant.

Owino recounted his own experience: his family raised Sh900 to send him to Kisumu Boys High School, supplemented by small community contributions.

Education, he said, was his pathway to becoming a student leader and MP.

“Because of that, I’d rather educate a child than build roads, because that child will come back and build the roads,” Owino said.

He criticised leaders lacking vision, noting that Nyoro aims to leave a lasting legacy through education.