MPs angered by CS Magoha’s decision on school buses

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Seven MPs from the Gusii region say Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha will be summoned over his decision to ban the use of school buses for private functions.

The legislators, who were speaking during the burial of Mama Rebecca Ogutu, mother to Bomachoge Borabu MP Zadock Ogutu in Magenche, Kisii County, said most of the school buses were bought using Constituency Development Fund cash.

“Prof Magoha will have to tell the Education and Research Committee why he is against school buses being used by members of communities near the schools since they were bought using funds that did not come from the Education ministry,” said Nyamira Woman Representative Jerusha Momanyi.

Joash Nyamoko (North Mugirango) said the school buses have helped improve development in their respective communities and it was wrong for the CS to come up with a policy that was intended to take them back to where they were more than 30 years ago.

“We are asking Prof Magoha to let Kenyans enjoy the benefit of having the Constituency Development Fund, which is responsible for buying all these school buses that you see across the country. Let him not act as an impediment to progress,” said Nyamoko.

Alpha Miruka (Bomachoge Chache) said he has bought eight buses for secondary schools in his constituency using CDF and insisted that they belong to the community adding nobody can stop the public from using them.

Borabu MP Ben Momanyi said one of the reasons they are proposing to have Cabinet ministers from Members of Parliament under the Building Bridges Initiative was to have people who are sensitive to the plight of Kenyans holding sensitive dockets like Education.

“If Prof Magoha was an elected Member of Parliament he would not have come up with such an unpopular proposal as banning school buses bought using Constituency Development Funds from being used by the public,” said Momanyi.

Magoha had banned the hiring of school buses for non-academic activities in a bid to combat the spread of Covid-19 given that some school administrators were allowing the use of the buses for functions that were not academic in nature.

The Education CS had on Saturday raised concern that some of the schools were not complying with Ministry of Health guidelines on social distancing in motor vehicles, thereby exposing learners to coronavirus.

“This habit of using school buses for activities that are not school-related should be stopped with immediate effect,” said Magoha.