Musalia Mudavadi fires at Fred Matiang'i over new book buying law

Musalia Mudavadi

Amani party leader Musalia Mudavadi has criticised the Jubilee government for centralising the issuance of books to public schools.

"I must state to Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i that reversal of market-driven procurement is the wrong option or no option at all. It amounts to re-centralisation of corruption," Mr Mudavadi said.

He said the supervision and auditing unit of the Education ministry should be overhauled and the supply chain loopholes tightened. He added that book-buying committees should oversight corrupt head teachers.

"Briefcase sellers should be eliminated. The Kenyan book market is dominated by textbook trade and any reversal sounds the death knell for publishers and booksellers," he said.

He said in 1998, Kenya adopted a policy on book publishing, distribution and supply which worked well until 2011.

"That was in line with the liberalisation and market-driven policies I had initiated as Finance minister (1993-1997)," Mudavadi said.