'Stop seeing crisis everywhere' — Ruto defends education reforms, hits back at critics

‎President William Ruto has defended his administration’s education reforms and urged Kenyans to reject pessimism, saying the country is on the path to transformation.

‎Ruto said his government had made major strides in addressing long-standing challenges in the education sector despite criticism from some quarters.

‎“In our lifetime, we are going to change our country. I have so much belief in it,” Ruto said.

‎He was speaking on Saturday during the 120th anniversary celebrations of Maseno School in Kisumu County.

‎“Don’t worry about the naysayers. Don’t worry about the pessimists and the people who see nothing good,” he added.

‎The President questioned critics who continue to describe the education sector as being in crisis despite the government’s recent investments in teachers and 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.

‎Ruto called for unity, collaboration and faith in the country’s ability to overcome its challenges, saying Kenyans must stop engaging in blame games and instead focus on solutions.

‎“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 further appealed for moral and responsible leadership across all sectors of society.

‎“We need godly leaders across the board, those of us in politics and those of us in other areas,” he said.

‎He challenged Kenyans to reflect on their individual contribution towards national development instead of constantly 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,” Ruto said.

‎The Head of State maintained that belief in God, national unity and confidence in Kenya’s potential would be key in taking the country to the next level.