Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen/FILE
The Cabinet Secretary for Interior and
National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen, will this Friday host the
inaugural Elgeyo-Marakwet Elimu Conference at the Lorna Kiplagat Academy in
Iten, Elgeyo-Marakwet County.
The one-day conference, to be graced by his
Education counterpart Julius Migos Ogamba, is aimed at sensitising education
stakeholders on the implementation of the Competency Based Education and to
address the challenge of poor academic performance in schools within the
county.
The forum will bring together 2500 education
stakeholders, including school principals, student representatives, academics,
education administrators, teacher union leaders and leading professionals from
the county.
The conference, organised under the auspices
of the OKM Foundation, is the first one of its kind in the county.
According to the foundation patron, who is
also the CS for Interior, Kipchumba Murkomen, “The lower parts of
Elgeyo-Marakwet County is recovering from decades of banditry and therefore the
quality of education has gone down over the years. Other areas also suffer from
high teacher-student ratio, poor infrastructure especially lack of
laboratories, and low transition to senior schools and TVETs.
“Bringing this
county on par with the rest of the country is therefore urgent. No one
stakeholder has the silver bullet to solve this problem. And that is why we as
a foundation are bringing together all stakeholders to explore the best ways to
raise the standards of education in the shortest time possible.”
The OKM Foundation, which was founded in 2023,
sponsors 200 students in schools and colleges annually, runs mentorship
programs and nurture talents through sport tournaments in the North Rift
Region.
Leading educationists and officials from the
Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission have been invited to
make presentations in the conference on various topics.
The National Authority
for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) will also sensitize
the attendees on alcohol and substance abuse.
Other leaders who will attend the conference include Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Wisley Rotich, Keiyo North MP Adams Kipsanai, Treasury PS Chris Kiptoo, Education PS Julius Bitok, TVET PS Esther Muoria, Woman Rep Caroline Ng’elechei, Speaker Lawi Kibire, Keiyo South M Gideon Kimaiyo, Senator William Kipsang, Marakwet West MP Timothy Kipchumba, Marakwet East MP Kangogo Bowen and acting TSC CEO Evaleen Mitei.