This archive opinion argues that Kenya’s nomadic counties remain underserved in education despite constitutional promises of equality and affirmative action.
The piece says the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 guarantees equal protection and equal benefit from the law, and it points to Article 27(6) and Article 56(b) as the legal basis for state action to support minorities and marginalised groups. It adds that policy documents, including sessional papers, national strategic plans and the Mid-term Expenditure Framework, also support wider access to basic services such as education.
According to the article, the education gap is most visible in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and other border regions, where insecurity, school closures and poor infrastructure have left many learners behind. It says children in these areas still sit the same exams as pupils in better-served parts of the country, even though their schooling is repeatedly disrupted.
The writer also criticises the Teachers Service Commission’s P1 entry requirement of a C-plain, saying it has not solved staffing problems in nomadic counties. The article cites 2012 figures showing that 18 adult literacy teachers were posted to Mandera County, which had an adult literacy rate of 10 per cent, while 93 were sent to Kiambu, where adult literacy stood at 90 per cent.
It further argues that insecurity along borders with Somalia, South Sudan and Ethiopia has made the regions unattractive to professionals, while attacks in Baringo and Mandera drove teachers away and weakened education standards. The article says many local residents do not meet current recruitment thresholds, and that planning for education services has failed to reflect the realities of nomadic communities.
Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed is said to have, in consultation with leaders from nomadic counties, considered lowering entry grades for some courses as part of affirmative action. The proposal mentioned in the article would reduce admission into the P1 teachers’ course from a C plain to D+, with the Kenya National Qualifications Authority suggested as the body that could formalise the change.
The article concludes that citizens in ASAL areas should be given equal opportunity to access education and compete for opportunities available elsewhere in the country.
