“This is not about political parties, regions or tribes. The Kenyan children are not taught as Jubilee or CORD, it is about the children, parents and the stakeholders in the educations sector,” he insisted.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 30 – Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi has defended himself against allegations of high handedness and unprofessionalism at the ministry.
The beleaguered Kaimenyi further dismissed a petition seeking to remove him from office as one lacking merit adding that he will not be intimidated by those dissatisfied with his work, arguing that he has always adhered to the law in his work.
“I have seen it in the media, in fact it is rumours. If you can be removed from office because of allegations which are unsubstantiated, it is for you to judge; you have related with me so only you can judge. You cannot become a thief because Kaimenyi has said so,” he said.
He was reacting to a plot by Matayos MP Geoffrey Odanga who has given a notice to move a censure motion seeking to have Kaimenyi dismissed from the Cabinet for what he terms as gross misconduct and violation of the Constitution.
“Issues of consultations have been very scarce from the Cabinet Secretary on very key issues, like for instance those regulations that were published. The law would have required that he consults the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution, the Attorney General and other stakeholders which he did not. This is just a tip of the iceberg,” said Odanga.
The former teacher said he had nothing against Kaimenyi but rather he was concerned about the welfare of students and by extension the education sector which he complained was decaying under the leadership of the CS.
He added that his motion was not politically motivated as the issues he was raising were neither CORD nor Jubilee instigated pointing out that in fact he had marshalled support from Members of Parliament from both sides of the political divide.
“This is not about political parties, regions or tribes. The Kenyan children are not taught as Jubilee or CORD, it is about the children, parents and the stakeholders in the educations sector,” he insisted.
But Kaimenyi maintains there is no evidence that he has violated the constitution or misbehaved in exercising his powers; he rather accuses politicians of using malice to soil the names of public officers who have no chance to defend themselves.
The motion is currently before the House Business committee which determines the order of business in the House.
Kaimenyi has in the past survived an ouster attempt after House MPs dropped their campaign to remove him from office due to the controversial award of the Sh24 billion school laptops tender.
About The Author
