President William Ruto has effected fresh changes in the senior ranks of government after reassigning Principal Secretary for Basic Education Julius Bitok to the State Department for Tourism in a surprise reshuffle announced on Tuesday.
The changes were communicated in a statement issued by Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service Felix Koskei, who confirmed that the reassignments take effect immediately.
Under the new changes, Amb. Prof. Julius Bitok has been moved from the State Department for Basic Education under the Ministry of Education to the State Department for Tourism in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.
At the same time, John Lekakeny Ololtuaa has been reassigned from the State Department for Tourism to the State Department for Basic Education.
“HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT has this afternoon sanctioned re-assignments in the senior ranks of the Executive in the cadre of Principal Secretaries,” the statement read in part.
The reshuffle comes at a time when the education sector continues to face major challenges, including concerns over delayed capitation funds, school unrest, implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), and staffing issues across public institutions.
Bitok had been at the center of key policy discussions within the education sector, particularly around the transition and implementation of government education reforms.
His transfer comes days after he made controversial remarks on the ongoing school unrest.
Bitok had suggested that school heads could negotiate with students on examination schedules as a way of addressing rising unrest in secondary schools.
He urged school administrators to engage students in dialogue when handling exam-related tensions.
Bitok said schools should be open to conversations with learners to understand the causes of unrest, particularly where exam pressure is a trigger for disruption.
“Let us have a conversation with the students. If they are not ready for a mock exam, you should be able to engage them; they should be able to tell you if that is what is causing tension in our schools,” he said.
He added that postponing assessments could be preferable to situations that destroy school property.
“You’d rather postpone the tests than have a burnt-down institution,” Bitok said, while ruling out early closure of schools.