Senators warn poor infrastructure and neglect threaten ECDE, propose major reforms

Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) in several counties is in a worrying state, with senators cautioning that poor infrastructure, limited resources and inadequate planning could undermine the foundation of learning.

According to the Senate Standing Committee on Education, continued neglect of the sector risks jeopardising the country’s education future.

The legislators have now proposed reforms, including separating ECDE from primary schools, to ensure better planning, resource allocation and tailored programmes for young learners. They believe that granting ECDE greater independence would improve the delivery of early learning services across the country.

The committee made the remarks during an oversight tour in Makueni County, where it praised the county’s ECDE programmes as a benchmark for others. It announced that it will conduct assessments in all 47 counties to evaluate classroom quality, availability of learning materials and the overall state of ECDE services.

Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr, who hosted the delegation, called for the establishment of a special fund dedicated to ECDE, noting that many counties face severe financing gaps that result in poor infrastructure and a lack of essential facilities.

“The function involving ECDEs issues, including employment, should get deliberate funding from the national government through the grants, so that in the next 10 to 15 years, we should not be discussing cases where young children are going to mud schools or schools without roofs. It is something of big concern,” Governor Kilonzo said.

The Senate Committee stressed that ECDE forms the bedrock of a child’s academic journey and overall development, urging both national and county governments to prioritise investment in the sector.

Senators also raised concern over a growing trend of governors failing to honour committee invitations, warning that the pattern was undermining their oversight role and delaying critical work.

Committee chairperson Senator Betty Montet cited repeated postponements by the governors of Kirinyaga and Samburu, describing the situation as a worrying case of absenteeism.

Some members suggested that certain governors could be deliberately avoiding scrutiny, especially in counties grappling with issues such as delayed teacher payments.

To address the delays, the committee has proposed that governors respond to invitations at least seven days in advance, with clear penalties for non-compliance. Montet further recommended shifting meetings to Mondays to create room for rescheduling absentees.

“This committee must not be crippled by absence and avoidance. There must be seriousness in our engagements,” Montet said.

During the same session, the committee reviewed a draft model for the pre-primary school feeding programme, identifying significant gaps and misalignments. Senators criticised county governments for diverting the initiative toward primary school learners instead of the intended ECDE beneficiaries.

Montet faulted the Council of Governors (CoG) for submitting a proposal that lacked clarity and failed to address the needs of ECDE learners.

“This programme has nothing to do with ECDE learners. It has been overtaken by a commercial approach tailored for primary schools,” she said.

Senator Margaret Kamar urged counties to avoid duplicating national feeding programmes and to focus resources on pre-primary children, who are most in need of nutritional support at the foundational stage of learning.

Committee members Catherine Mumma, Seki Lenku and Mwaruma backed the call for a thorough review of county submissions to realign the feeding initiative with its original purpose.