Khalwale’s criticism came a day after Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos released the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results in Eldoret, an event that reignited debate over national school admissions and regional equity.
In posts shared on Saturday, January 10, 2026, the senator defended former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who has recently pushed for 30 percent of national school admission slots to be reserved for local students in areas that have invested heavily in building and maintaining national schools.
Khalwale argued that the proposal was neither discriminatory nor ethnic, but rather a fair recognition of communities that have mobilised resources to create competitive academic institutions.
“As they say, if you want to kill a dog, start by giving it a bad name. Listening to Rigathi with sobriety, he actually raised a valid and not tribal point,” Khalwale wrote.
He insisted that reserving admission quotas for host communities would encourage regions to invest more aggressively in their education systems.
The senator went further to accuse Northern Kenya leaders of failing to utilise the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) and county devolved funds to improve their schools.
He cited Kotulo Model Girls Secondary School in Mandera County as an example of stalled development despite repeated allocations meant for upgrades.
“These leaders are the problem,” he claimed, asserting that complaints of marginalisation cannot be taken seriously when existing funds are allegedly misused or left idle.
Gachagua also weighed in on the matter on Friday, January 9, 2026, dismissing calls for affirmative action for counties in the region.
Speaking in Nyeri, he argued that more than a decade of devolution had given county governments enough time and resources to build quality learning institutions comparable to those in other parts of the country.
According to Gachagua, counties in Central, Western and Rift Valley regions have achieved better outcomes with fewer resources, while Northern counties have yet to show similar progress despite “sustained transfers of public funds”.
The senator went further to accuse Northern Kenya leaders of failing to utilise the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) and county devolved funds to improve their schools.
He cited Kotulo Model Girls Secondary School in Mandera County as an example of stalled development despite repeated allocations meant for upgrades.
“These leaders are the problem,” he claimed, asserting that complaints of marginalisation cannot be taken seriously when existing funds are allegedly misused or left idle.
Gachagua also weighed in on the matter on Friday, January 9, 2026, dismissing calls for affirmative action for counties in the region.
Speaking in Nyeri, he argued that more than a decade of devolution had given county governments enough time and resources to build quality learning institutions comparable to those in other parts of the country.
According to Gachagua, counties in Central, Western and Rift Valley regions have achieved better outcomes with fewer resources, while Northern counties have yet to show similar progress despite “sustained transfers of public funds”.