This Man Fred Matiang’i

BY Juma · December 30, 2016 05:12 am

Someone said that extraordinary people are ordinary people doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way and one man in Kenya is making this happen.

Who is this man, Dr. Fred Matiang’i? Who is this extraordinary man doing ordinary things in an extraordinary ordinary way?

I don’t know who Dr. Fred Matiang’i is but I know of the extraordinary things that he has done in the Kenyan education sector. As to who he is, that will have to come from you.

The man was transferred from IT docket and replaced Professor Jacob Kaimenyi at the helm of the Ministry of Education and since then, the man has proved all through how Jacob Kaimenyi had failed the ministry.

He begun by brushing the cartels the wrong way. First he disbanded the whole Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) board and appointed a new board of management.

He then went full blast to curb all channels that used to be used to leak examinations to the students and teachers. The cartels fought back through inciting students to burn their schools and cause havoc. The man held on strong and he told them that the cartels in the examination sector had to fall. And they fell.

He also banned half term breaks for the whole of third term for students. Some thought that the man from the land of ‘amatoke’, Kisii, was joking, but no, he meant everything that he said.

Then came the day if examinations. Standard eight pupils were treated as VIPs and also as suspects. They were given full security by armed police officers and they were not allowed to enter the examination room with any other material but only material for the exam. Even geometrical sets were out of question.

KCSE was more dramatic, divided into episodes with the Cabinet Secretary as the main actor. The man took it upon himself to supervise the issuing if examination papers in various counties.

What shocked many is the surprise from Dr. Fred Matiang’i to release the examination results earlier that ever before. KCPE was released before Christmas. That was a surprise. Initially, KCPE was released on 27th or 28th of December after Christmas. Another surprise was on the way. KCSE was released on 29th of December, far much different from the initial times of being released during the month of March.

Questions have been asked. Why was it that results used to take so long during the initial years? What was it that the previous ministers could not manage to curb examination cheating? Why can’t other Cabinet Secretaries work the same way Fred Matiang’i is working?

People have been saying that Matiang’i is working more than the Jubilee Government combined. I agree with them. Fred Matiang’i is the man of the year! Keep up the good work Daktari!

About Juma

Juma is an enthusiastic journalist who believes that journalism has power to change the world either negatively or positively depending on how one uses it. (020) 528 0222 or Email: info@sokodirectory.com