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GOVERNMENT OF KENYA

SPEECH BY
H.E HON JAMES E.O. ONGWAE, CBS, EBS, OGW
GOVERNOR, KISII COUNTY
DURING THE OFFICIAL OPENING
OF THE 1
ST
KISII COUNTY EDUCATION CONFERENCE
HELD AT KISII UNIVERSITY GROUNDS
ON WEDNESDAY 13
TH
AUGUST, 2014.

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Salutations
Our Chief Guest Prof. John Akama- Vice
Chancellor- Kisii University,
The representative of Prof. Kaimenyi
The Deputy Governor, Kisii County - Hon.
JoashMaangi
Speaker, Kisii County Assembly - Hon.
KerosiOndieki
Members of County Assembly present
Distinguished Scholars
Distinguished members of various Boards and
organisations
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen0
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Welcome:
I wish to take this opportunity to welcome you
all to Kisii County. I want to thank you all, most
sincerely, for honouring our invitation to
attend this conference and trust that you will
not only find your stay here comfortable, but
also intellectually stimulating as we deliberate
on ways and means of enhancing quality
education in Kisii County.
I am indeed humbled by the huge turnout by
our distinguished guests; the Kisii County
professionals and particularly our people from
the diaspora community - which attests to the
concern you all have on the issues we will be
discussing over the next three days.
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Background
Ladies and gentlemen,
The hosting of this conference is a culmination
of a series of discussions we have been having
for over a year now on how to address the
declining standards of education in Kisii
County, as evidenced by the poor performance
of our schools in national exams.
On 11
th
June last year, I convened an Education
Stakeholders meeting at Mwalimu Hotel,
where we discussed the challenges facing the
education sector as well as strategies for
enhancing quality education in the county. A
major recommendation from the meeting was
that a follow-up conference be held to
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deliberate further on ways and means of
enhancing quality education in Kisii County.
This conference today, is the fulfilment of this
recommendation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The fact that the educational standards within
our county have gone down over the years is
well known to all of us. It is only a few years
back (2011) when, to the embarrassment of
every Omogusii leader and professional, the
media published the KCPE results revealing
that the worst performing school in Kenya was
from Gusiiland .The irony of it was that at
around the same time, Kisii District was
providing or had just provided national
leadership in the education sector including
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the Minister for Education; a Vice-Chancellor
to one of our national universities; and the
Secretary, Teachers Service Commission, just to
mention a few.
Many others, including some of you present
here today, were in national leadership
positions. I can assure you that those of us who
found ourselves in national leadership
positions at that time, found it very hard to
appear in public, dreading that someone might
challenge us on our competency as national
leaders, yet we were failing to offer leadership
in our own institutions of learning.
What was most disturbing, though, was the
fact that during the same period, Kisii students
were among the top ten performers nationally,
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but in schools outside Kisii County! This,
coupled with the fact that not too long ago,
some of the top performers in Kenya included
such schools as Kisii School; Cardinal
OtungaMosocho; Sameta; Kereri Girls;
Riokindo Boys; and Nyabururu Girls, gave us
some ray of hope that it was not that Kisii
students were not intelligent, but rather that
the system of education in Kisii had derailed
and needed urgent realignment.
Ladies and Gentlemen;
The best placed people to do this realignment
are no others, but ourselves Professors,
Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Financiers,
Economists, Educationists all luminaries in
your specific fields, but all who share the
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common root of having been educated in these
same schools which are now performing
poorly. The fact of the matter, therefore, is that
given the right environment, our children can
comfortably compete with other students in
Kenya.
It is for this reason, that this conference has
been organised: that is, to provide a platform
for bringing together all the key stakeholders
in the education sector, (students, parents,
teachers, sponsors, business community,
professionals, and leaders) in a forum where
we can share our ideas on how to offer our
children with quality education to enable them
participate and contribute effectively in nation
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building, as well as in the pursuit of a
meaningful and fulfilling life.

Objectives
It is with this in mind that we have chosen the
theme for this conference to be: Enhancing
Quality Education for Development. To
provide guidance during our deliberations, we
have identified four main objectives for this
conference, which include, but are not limited
to the following:
i. To develop strategies of implementing
educational resolutions of the 1
st
county
education stakeholders conference. (These
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resolutions will be presented to you during
this conference);
ii. To constitute county subject panels for
improved curriculum delivery;
iii. To come up with strategies for developing
leadership and management skills for
teachers, school heads, quality assurance
and standards officers and management
boards;
iv. To identify and organise to mobilize
resources for improved quality education in
the county.



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Devolved Functions
Ladies and gentlemen,
I now wish to briefly highlight the current
situation on the ground, which forms the
backdrop to the issues for our discussions and
the recommendations that you will be making.
However, before I do so, let me in brief; address
the Countys locus standi on this matter. In
other words, what is the legal basis for our
intervention in the education sector?
As you are all aware, the Constitution of Kenya
clearly outlines the functions of the County
Government as relates to education. According
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to the 4th Schedule of the Constitution, County
Governments are responsible for Pre-Primary,
Village Polytechnics, Home craft centres and
Childcare facilities. Clearly, the education
sector has not, therefore, been fully devolved as
basic education (primary and secondary),
tertiary and university education have been
retained by the National Government.
Although the Constitution allocates the
education sector to the two levels of
government, Section 189(2) provides that
Government at each level, and different
governments at the county level, shall co-
operate in the performance of functions and
exercise of powers and, for that purpose, may
set up joint committees and authorities. The
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Constitution, therefore, creates a window for
this type of consultation - for us to move our
agenda forward on matters of importance to
our county.
My government, in accordance with chapter
55 of the Constitution, has therefore taken the
necessary measures, including affirmative
action programmes, to ensure that our children
access relevant education and training.
My government is, therefore, ready to support
and partner with all stakeholders, including
the National Government, in ensuring that
quality education is offered at all levels.
Apart from the issue of collaboration with the
national government, our interest in all levels
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of education stems from two major
considerations: First is that as a County
Government, we are the first in the firing line
when our schools dont perform well; secondly,
as an employer, we have a keen interest in the
type of education our current and future
applicants are receiving as this will affect their
effectiveness and performance in running our
beloved County.

Current Performance
Ladies and Gentlemen:
In 2013, Kisii County registered a Kenya
Certificate of Secondary Education mean score
of 4.96, a slight improvement from 2012 when
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the mean score was 4.43, and 2011 when it
was 4.34. During the same period, our County
moved from position 33 out of 47 in 2012 to
position 25 out of 47 in 2013, nationally. We
also posted 12 schools in the KCSE top 100
category, with three District Schools being
ranked among the top 100-district schools
category nationally. Kisii School was position
26 nationally, while Nyakoiba was position
three in District schools category nationally.
In terms of grades, the County KCSE 2013
results recorded some encouraging
improvement. The A plain were74; A-
were274, B+ were 592, while the B plain
were 1,069 out of a total of 90,599 candidates
who sat for the exam.
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As we commend the schools that did well in
2013 KCSE, I would like to note with concern
that academic performance in the County still
remains low in overall results. This is
evidenced by the fact that out of 90,599
candidates in 2013, only 4,760 performed
above average translating to a meager 5.2
percent. The other worrying trend is the fact
that all the top ten students in the County came
from one school; that is Kisii School.
This raises questions on the performance of the
rest of the schools.
Generally, the performance was poor, as even
schools in marginalized areas like in Wajir and
Mandera counties outshined us. For instance,
the last ranked school in Wajir had an index of
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14.1 with 44 candidates; the last ranked school
in Mandera had an index of 12.3 with 63
candidates while the last ranked school in our
County had an index of 11.5 with 48
candidates. This is indeed a serious concern.
Turning to primary education, the
performance in KCPE was not as encouraging.
In 2013, the County registered a mean score of
242 out of 500, which is below the average of
250, making the County to take position 34 out
of 47. Generally, the County performed
dismally when compared to other Counties
with similar features like Kirinyaga, which had
a mean score of 274. Hardship Counties
performed well than us for example WestPokot
had a mean score of 262 and Makuenihad
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267. The last ranked school in the County had
a mean of 171 as compared to other counties
like Makueni which had a mean of 211,
Lamu192, Mombasa193, TaitaTaveta178,
Kilifi174, Kajiado207, West Pokot230, and
Marsabit202.

Ladies and gentlemen,
In 2013, the top ten KCPE positions were taken
mostly by private schools led by Precious Hope
Academy whereas Public Primary Schools took
the last ten positions in the County.
In the same year, a total of 914 schools
undertook the KCPE Examinations. Out of
these, 349 scored an average of 250 translating
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to 38 per cent. However, this was an
improvement from 2012 when the mean score
was 38 per cent where 872 schools undertook
the exam but 329 schools performed above the
average mean of 250. Bearing in mind that this
is the foundation onto which education is
anchored, is indeed a major area of concern.

Situation Analysis
Ladies and gentlemen, I now wish to very
briefly contextualise the issues and also offer
some insights on areas that need urgent
attention, and on which we need to focus our
attention during this conference.
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Kisii County has a population of about
1.3million out of whom 79 per cent or 1.07
million are children and youth aged between
zero and 35 years desiring an educational
institution for learning.
To appreciate the magnitude of the problem
before us, it is important to note the following:
1. First is the number of institutions available
within the County: This large number of our
children and youth desirous of an education
have to fight to join the following institutions
within the County:

694 public ECD Centres,
694 public Primary Schools,
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328 public Secondary Schools,
45 public Youth Polytechnics,
2 Technical Training Institutes,
7 Colleges,
8 University Campuses and
1 Public University.

2. The inadequacy of infrastructure as
evidenced by total enrolment, which
currently stands at 552,935 students in all
institutions of learning within the County.
This is about half the number of the age
cohort typically seeking placement in an
institution of learning. The rest have to go
elsewhere, or just stay out of school.
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3. Thirdly is the quality of education available
to those who manage to secure a place in our
institutions as it relates to teacher /student
ratio, and staffing. In Kisii County, the
teacher/student ratio stands at 1:37 in our
public primary schools, 1:31 in public
secondary schools; and 1:53 in our youth
polytechnics. Given that the ideal ratio is
1:40. This looks good, but some schools have
more than others. This calls for proper
balancing.
4. Fourthly is the low transitional rate from
primary to secondary and tertiary
institutions.
5. Lack of career guidance and counseling for
learners.
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6. Insufficient technical skills base to address
the realities or challenges facing society.
7. Inadequate Quality Assurance and Standards
personnel.
8. Very high teacher student ratio, which
stands at primary 1:37 and in secondary
1:31 and 1:53 in youth Polytechnics.
9. Limited land for expansion.
10. Limited resources for capacity building of
teachers and management boards.

Ladies and gentlemen, We face problems with
the constitution in the area of infrastructure
development that is a function of the national
government. When disasters occur in schools
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say for example a roof being blown off during
a storm or collapse of toilets, management
committees run to the county and though this
function is not devolved, we are expected to
assist.
We are asking the national government to
consider donating this function to counties
which are better placed to tackle infrastructure
issues.
Also, we seek increased support for co-
curricular activities. In the area of primary
education for instance, Kisii County receives a
paltry Kshs 900,000/= to cater for drama,
music, athletics and special needs. Taking into
account the 634 primary schools and 280,000
pupils, this amount is a drop in the ocean.
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Secondary schools are not any better because
the county receives KShs. 850,000 to cater for
the needs of 356 schools and 101,000 students.
This is too little as the funds are expected to
finance all sporting activities. Schools keep
coming to the county offices seeking help but if
these functions were devolved, such situations
wont arise.
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the County level, we have already embarked
on various initiatives aimed at laying a firm
foundation for improving the standards of
education for our children. Having got the
mandate for Early Childhood Education, my
government has carried out the following in
the FY 2013/2014:
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For ECD
We are constructing two ECD classrooms
in every ward or a total of 90 classrooms
within the county.
We have recruited 1,184 ECD teachers,
and will be recruiting more in this
financial year.
We have purchased and distributed
teaching and learning materials to all
ECD Centres.
We have carried out a baseline survey on
the status of ECD Centres as the basis for
further intervention.
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Under Youth Polytechnics, which is also a
devolved function, my Government has
initiated measures to enhance the quality
of Vocational Training, which is a key
element towards achieving Vision 2030
in this County.

We have already carried out a baseline
survey on the status of Youth Polytechnics
in the County.
Purchased and distributed tools and
equipment to all Youth Polytechnics in
the County.

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We are also constructing 9workshops in
9 Youth Polytechnics that were identified
to be very needy and are under
construction.
Also, my government has enacted the
Kisii County Bursaries Fund Act, 2014
through which KShs.45 million shillings
has already been disbursed equally to all
the Wards to assist needy students access
an education. In the current financial
year, we have set aside Kshs.two million
per ward for the bursary scheme, this
amounts to Kshs. 90 million

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Proposed Programmes and Projects
2014/2015
Ladies and gentlemen,
During this new financial year, my
government has made proposals to build one
home craft center in every Sub-County.
Further, we have plans to construct and equip
more ECDE classrooms and Youth Polytechnic
workshops, recruit senior staff in ECDE
management to oversee standards assurance.
We shall recruit more teaching staff for both
ECDE and Youth Polytechnics.
We also intend to partner with the National
Government and other stakeholders in
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promoting primary and Secondary Education
in this County.
My government will continue to prioritize
educational issues for purposes of enhancing
the quality of Education in the County. We
shall spearhead and support relevant
educational reforms, so as to enhance
efficiency and effectiveness in educational
administration and management, ensuring that
there is prudent governance and management
of resources, and building and strengthening
genuine partnership and collaboration among
educational stakeholders.


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Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to let you know that we are
committed to implementing the Kisii County
development plan in a bid to improve the
livelihoods of Kisii County residents. In the area
of health services, we have made strides in our
quest to provide quality and affordable
healthcare services. We have finalized
protocols to elevate Kisii Level Five Hospital
into a teaching and referral hospital, in
collaboration with Kisii University. We intend
that the hospital bethe third Level Six hospital
in the County after Kenyatta National Hospital
and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in
Eldoret. Through Public, Private Partnerships,
we have made available services like kidney
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dialysis thus patients no longer have to travel
to Nairobi and Eldoret for this service.
In the area of road infrastructure, we have
opened and graveled over 400km of road in
the wards and in urban areas like Kisii Town.
We plan to do even more roads this year.


Ladies and gentlemen,
Trial runs for the avocado industry have been
completed and the factory is currently carrying
out small-scale production. The venture is set
to create more than 600 direct and indirect
jobs for our people. We have identified an
investor and negotiations are at an advanced
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stage to construct high-end Sugar and
soapstone factories in South Mugirango.
In the area of agriculture, we have created a
value addition directorate with experts in
marketing and food processing. This
department will offer expertise and extension
services to farmers. We have also partnered
with the private sector to offer this service in
specific value chains like bananas, legumes and
avocado. We have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with various Indian companies
to assist us set up value addition industries
which have confirmed that we can we can set
up value addition factories for honey
processing; brown sugar; and banana
processing, for a start.
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In urban planning, we have embarked on an
elaborate plan to light up all Sub County
headquarters using streetlights and high mast
lights (mulikamwizi). In Kisii Town, we have
repaired the existing streetlights and a
contractor is working on a solar powered street
lighting project to light up the CBD.
In sports, renovation of the Gusii stadium to
meet international standards is underway. Two
fences, four daises including a VIP shade,
toilets and changing rooms will be constructed.
The renovation will greatly help Shabana FC, as
the team will generate revenue during sporting
activities besides nurturing upcoming talent in
the region.

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My government embarked on a spring
protection programme across the county. We
constructed a total of 225 springs in the last
financial year. Two boreholes will be
constructed in all our 45 wards among other
projects.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Ladies and Gentlemen;
I have attempted to very briefly give you an
overview on how we see the challenge before
us as well as give you an insight into what we
at the County are doing to turn around the
deteriorating education standards in our
county. We strongly believe that quality
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education is a basic human right to every
citizen of this county, and that it is within our
mandate to provide quality education to every
citizen in Kisii County
It is, therefore, my expectation that at the end
of this conference, we shall come up with
strategic actions, programmes and timelines
aimed at positioning our institutions of
learning among the top ten best performers
nationally and offer our citizens their moral
and constitutional right, in the form of quality
and accessible education.
Given the level of expertise in this gathering,
and the goodwill that has been demonstrated
by your having accepted to attend, I am
confident that this expectation shall be realised.
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I wish you well in your deliberations; and
thank you once again for accepting our
invitation. With these remarks, Ladies and
gentlemen, it is my pleasure to invite Prof John
Akama to officially open this conference.
May God bless you all!