In a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday, January 14, the UGM Party leader said education reforms under the current government have failed learners, parents, and teachers, warning that the system is pushing children into despair instead of empowering them.
Maraga argued that access to education should not be measured by enrollment numbers alone, but by whether learners are able to remain in school, progress, and complete their studies with dignity.
“Access must mean more than enrolment. It must mean retention, progression, and completion with dignity,” Maraga said, stressing that no child should ever feel that self-harm is their only escape from academic failure.
The former Chief Justice took issue with the government’s heavy promotion of initiatives such as Digital Literacy and the Silicon Savannah, saying they are disconnected from the realities facing public schools.
According to Maraga, nearly half of public junior secondary schools lack science laboratories, while many operate without electricity — conditions he said make meaningful innovation impossible.
He warned that technology, while useful, cannot replace teachers, classrooms, laboratories, and basic infrastructure, and may instead worsen inequality if rolled out without proper planning, teacher training, and safeguards.
“We must end this shambolic CBC,” Maraga declared, calling for a reset grounded in the Constitution and guided by common sense.
Maraga also criticised leaders who push sweeping education reforms while enrolling their own children in private schools, arguing that such policies are unfair and detached from the lived realities of most Kenyan families.
He further faulted an education culture obsessed with grades rather than actual learning, saying the system is producing learners who memorise content but lack critical thinking and real-life skills.
Pointing to recent examination results, Maraga cited abnormal grading trends — particularly the unusually high number of “D” grades compared to “C” grades — as evidence of systemic failure rather than learner incompetence.
In his wider critique, Maraga painted a bleak picture of the education sector, highlighting teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated infrastructure, corruption, and poor planning.
He revealed that Kenya is facing a shortage of more than 100,000 teachers, while government funding per primary school learner has dropped sharply — from about KSh 22,244 to KSh 12,870, a reduction of roughly 45 per cent.
At the same time, he noted, the national government is spending over KSh 1.9 trillion annually on debt servicing, consuming more than three-quarters of total revenue.
Maraga argued that the crisis is not caused by a lack of money, but by misplaced priorities, accusing the government of choosing debt accumulation, corruption, and inflated contracts over investing in classrooms, teachers, and learners.
Call for an Education Reset
The former Chief Justice concluded by urging the government to urgently rethink its education policies, warning that failure to act risks condemning an entire generation to inequality and lost opportunity.
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