Mumias East MP Peter Salasya has launched a scathing attack on Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, accusing him of promoting unrealistic free secondary education promises. In a video released today, Salasya dismissed Nyoro’s plan as “academic populism” and questioned where the funding for the initiative would come from, challenging the Budget Chair to disclose the financial sources behind the proposal.
The Battle Over Education Funding
The feud between the two MPs, both influential within the Kenya Kwanza coalition, has intensified as Salasya criticizes Nyoro’s pitch for fully free secondary education. Nyoro has been advocating for the plan as a major deliverable by the government, traveling across the country to drum up support. However, Salasya, in his rebuttal, described the proposal as both financially impractical and misleading.
“You’re pretending to be very learned,” Salasya remarked in the video, questioning why Nyoro, who controls the national budget, would make such promises when the Treasury could not fund them. Salasya, who is known for his sharp critiques, went on to ask, “Where is the money, Ndindi?”
Salasya’s main objection revolves around Nyoro’s proposed funding mechanism, which suggests drawing from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), county government allocations, and additional top-ups from the Treasury. According to Salasya, such a model misunderstands basic governmental financial principles and risks undermining both local and national priorities.
“If this money existed, why didn’t you include it in the 2025/2026 budget?” Salasya challenged, further alleging that stripping counties of their devolved functions to fund a national mandate would be disastrous for local development.
Further Concerns and Political Context
Salasya’s critique also questioned the legality of forcing county governments to contribute to secondary education, which he argues is the responsibility of the national government. He highlighted the ongoing pressure on the CDF, which is already stretched thin with other priorities like bursaries, security projects, and school infrastructure. He warned that directing these funds solely to secondary education would bring local development to a standstill.
The timing of Nyoro’s push for the initiative has also raised suspicions. Salasya suggested that Nyoro might be using the free education plan as a strategy to bolster his presidential aspirations for 2032, rather than as a genuine policy proposal for the upcoming 2026 elections.
This is not the first time Salasya and Nyoro have clashed. Salasya has previously criticized Nyoro for his handling of the Safaricom shares debate, calling him a “system apologist.” He has now demanded that Nyoro provide a clear plan outlining where the estimated KSh 120 billion needed for the education initiative will come from without raising taxes.
“Kenyans are tired of theoretical promises,” Salasya concluded. “We need school fees reduced now, not grand proposals about a future that will never materialize.” He suggested increasing the capitation per student from KSh 22,244 to KSh 35,000 immediately as a more practical solution.
