PNU CONDEMNS KENYA KWANZA ’s MOVE TO WEAKEN FREE BASIC EDUCATION.

BY NJOKI KARANJA. 

Nairobi, July 28, 2025.

The Party of National Unity (PNU) has sharply criticized the Kenya Kwanza administration for slashing funding to free primary and secondary education in the 2025/26 national budget, warning that the move threatens to undo decades of progress and could become the regime’s political downfall.

In a strongly worded statement released today, PNU condemned the government’s decision to reduce funding for Free Primary Education (FPE) from KES 9.1 billion to KES 7 billion, and Free Day Secondary Education from KES 61.9 billion to KES 51.9 billion. The party termed the move “detestable” and “clueless,” accusing the government of prioritizing corruption and non-essential expenditure over the future of Kenyan children.

“Education is the great equalizer. Since its implementation in 2003 under the leadership of the late President Mwai Kibaki, FPE has transformed millions of lives, lifted families out of poverty, and opened doors to opportunity,” the statement read. “Scaling back on such a transformative policy is not just irresponsible—it is a betrayal of the Kenyan dream.”

PNU hailed FPE as the foundation of Kenya’s improved literacy rates, growing from 69% to over 80% since its inception. It also credited the policy for fueling the rise of Kenya’s Gen Z youth movement and boosting the country’s human capital, which currently contributes over KES 720 billion in annual diaspora remittances.

The party drew a sharp contrast between past regimes and the current administration, noting that while the Moi government built schools, the Kibaki administration introduced FPE, and the Uhuru Kenyatta government expanded it to include free secondary education, the Kenya Kwanza regime is actively rolling back those gains.

“The government has no business building churches, giving handouts, or renovating State House if Kenyan children cannot access basic education,” the statement said. “This reckless defunding will leave millions trapped in an underfunded, overstretched system that is already failing.”

PNU also took aim at key figures in the current government, including ODM-nominated Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, calling their actions “inept” and complicit in what they described as the mismanagement of national priorities.

Asserting that education is a constitutional right under Article 43, PNU demanded an immediate shift in the government’s focus, calling for restored and increased funding to basic education.

“If the President cannot advance this cause, he should at the very least safeguard the gains he inherited from previous administrations. The opposition will take it from there when the time comes,” the statement concluded.

With growing concern from civil society, education stakeholders, and now opposition parties, the Kenya Kwanza administration faces mounting pressure to justify its budgetary decisions as public debate on the future of education in Kenya intensifies.