CS Magoha tells contractors to complete school projects before elections

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha has asked contractors to complete construction of classrooms and laboratories before President Uhuru Kenyatta leaves office.

Speaking at Butere Girls' High School, the CS said the project which was to ease pressure on school infrastructure in line with the 100 per cent primary to secondary transition faces delays.

"It was painful for politics to drag such a noble project but I thank President Kenyatta for standing firm and ensuring it is back on track," he said.

Prof Magoha said the Sh8 billion infrastructure project targeting secondary schools in 110 sub-counties was targeted by cartels.

“Cartels were planning to steal Sh2 billion. They wanted us to build classrooms in schools that had enough classrooms so that when the State allocates funds, they are syphoned but we stopped them,” he said yesterday.

The project targets to benefit 600,000 pupils in upper primary and 600,000 students in secondary. “We found out that schools with nine classrooms had been awarded extra nine classrooms. We opted to give the classrooms to deserving schools,” he said.

The CS said some contractors had exaggerated the cost of materials. Meanwhile, Magoha asked ministry officials to carry out a mop up exercise following report of students failing to join secondary schools.