According to the Council of Governors (CoG), an agreement has yet to be reached between the state and county governments to facilitate the management of the national government's early childhood development and education centers (ECDE).
The Governors' sentiments follow a recent announcement by Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ezekiel Machogu, who revealed that primary school principals will take over the centers in January 2024.
The centers, which have been under county governments' jurisdiction since devolution's inception, will be transferred to the national government if the move is implemented.
In a letter to CS Machogu dated December 28, CoG Chairperson Anne Waiguru emphasized that the ECDEs are under the jurisdiction of counties and that formal provision has yet to be made to change the current arrangement.
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"To this date, no such intergovernmental agreement has been entered between the two levels of government," said the Kirinyaga Governor in the letter seen by Citizen Digital.
While the CoG welcomes education reforms, Waiguru stated that the centers' administration will remain under the jurisdiction of county governments until a deal on the aforementioned is signed.
"We are cognizant of the recommendation of the Presidential working party on education reforms; however, the implementation of the same should be strictly undertaken in accordance with the provisions of article 187 of the constitution that sets the parameters for the transfer of the functions and powers between the two levels of government," she said.
