President William Ruto has reshuffled two Principal Secretaries, reassigning Principal Secretary for Basic Education PS Julius Bitok to the Tourism docket in the latest shake-up.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The changes, announced on Tuesday, June 9, will see outgoing Tourism PS John Lekakeny Ololtuaa take over the Basic Education docket in the Ministry of Education in what will be a direct swap.

"His Excellency the president has this afternoon sanctioned re-assignments in the senior ranks of the Executive in the cadre of Principal Secretaries," a notice from the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said.

"BY DINT OF the Presidential action, Amb. Prof. Julius Bitok, PhD, CBS, has been re-assigned from the State Department for Basic Education, Ministry of Education, to the State Department for Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, while Mr. John Lekakeny Ololtuaa, CBS, has been re-assigned from the State Department for Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, to the State Department for Basic Education, Ministry of Education."

📌 What You Need to Know

According to the Executive Office of the President, the reassignments take effect immediately.

The timing of the latest reshuffle is interesting, particularly because the Ministry of Education has been under intense scrutiny from the public amid a wave of unrest in secondary schools, which has seen more than 80 institutions closed indefinitely countrywide.

Prior to his re-assignment, Bitok spoke on the trend of school fires , reiterating that the government would not cave in to adjust the school calendar -  sentiments that attracted a new wave of criticism.

On June 6, Bitok attributed the growing unrest to exam-related anxiety among students and called on schools to consider delaying mock examinations as part of efforts to address the crisis.

"We have told the school principals and teachers not to force students to do exams. They should negotiate with them. If they are not ready, even for mock exams, they should talk to the students. It is better for exams to be postponed than to force them, because by morning, they may have burned down the school. We must ensure we listen to these learners. They have something to say," Bitok said on Saturday.

Hours before the changes were announced, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki revealed that the government had held high-level consultations on the school unrest situation, with Bitok among the senior Ministry of Education officials who briefed him on the status of safety and security in schools.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke