According to Kuria, national schools represent one of the last remaining spaces where Kenyan children from diverse ethnic, social and regional backgrounds interact on equal footing. He warned that dragging ethnic politics into such institutions risks eroding a long standing pillar of national cohesion.
Kuria alleged that Gachagua’s comments reflected a belief that he holds a special entitlement over national schools, an attitude Kuria described as dangerous and divisive. He specifically pointed to Gachagua’s past association with Alliance High School, claiming this connection had been used to justify a sense of ownership or influence over the institution.
In a particularly pointed accusation, Kuria claimed that during his time as a District Officer in the 1990s, Gachagua supplied milk to Alliance High School, an association Kuria says is now being leveraged to advance ethnic narratives around national schools. Kuria argued that such historical links do not confer authority to shape or influence institutions meant to serve the entire country.
He cautioned that national schools should never be reduced to ethnic trophies or political bargaining chips, stressing that they belong to all Kenyans regardless of tribe or political affiliation. In his view, once national schools are tribalised, the country risks normalising ethnic competition even in spaces meant to nurture shared identity and merit.
Kuria further warned that leaders must exercise restraint when speaking about sensitive national institutions, especially at a time when political temperatures are rising ahead of the 2027 General Election. He said careless remarks could inflame divisions and undermine the values of fairness, inclusivity and national unity that national schools were designed to promote.
The remarks add to the growing political tension between Kuria and Gachagua, with national identity, ethnicity and public institutions increasingly becoming flashpoints in Kenya’s evolving political discourse.
0 Comments