For many Kenyans within and abroad; Dr Fred Matiang’i is an epitome of change in the country’s education sector.
In his three year stint at the helm of Education ministry, so many gains have been made all thanks to his efforts.
It is rumoured that he is a favourite for President Uhuru Kenyatta. He is “Mr. Fix it”.
In 2016, the no-nonsense CS introduced radical changes in the country’s examination system and he managed to curb cheating which was deeply entrenched in the system.
This has seen a sharp decline in the number of top grades posted before when many students had access to leakage which was made possible by a cartel at the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC).
Before his exit from the Ministry, he crushed cartels working in cahoots with sections of school heads to fleece parents through text books buying.
These are his major successes at the Ministry which has left many Kenyans asking if his successor, Ambassador Amina Mohammed will match the performance.
President Uhuru Kenyatta named Mohammed as the new Education CS and moved Matiang’i to Interior ministry.
But after this announcement, social media was awash with pleas to retain Matiang’i in the education docket.
On the other hand, Ambassador Mohammed has a rich background in diplomacy.
She has been touted to be among the best performing ministerial heads in Uhuru’s first Cabinet. She was the Foreign Affairs CS.
She put Kenya on the global map with her strong advocacy for Kenya’s foreign relations strategy.
However, she joins the Education ministry at a critical time when the country is readying for curriculum change, another hurdle her predecessor tackled head-on.