Secondary school students in form one and two will benefit from free education beginning January next year, President Kibaki announced recently.
In a move that will help ease the burden of education for parents, the President said free education for form three and four students would follow later.
"The free primary education we started will be continued to secondary and form one and form two education will be free next year," the President told Muslims who paid him a visit at State House, Nairobi.
Tuition fees
The Presidential Press Service, however, later called the Nation to clarify that President Kibaki had meant that tuition fees from form one to form four will be waived starting next year. Phase two of efforts to further reduce the cost of education will depend on the success of the move. The President said funds would come from tax collected by the Government.
"This is why everybody has to pay tax. Defaulters will not be spared," the President warned.
It is estimated that the move will cost the exchequer Sh4.3 billion.
The announcement by Kibaki comes in the wake of campaign promises by presidential aspirants Kalonzo Musyoka, Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi that they would implement free secondary education if elected.
Uganda has already started free secondary education for form one students. President Kibaki said he wanted the country's education sector to develop like those of some European countries.
"I can't promise what I can't fulfill," he said, adding that tax collected by the Government's had tripled since he came to power.
Ninety-three percent of the country's budget, he added, was financed through taxes.
Genuine partners
Urging Kenyans to educate their children and pay taxes for wealth creation, President Kibaki further rejected calls from the Muslim leaders that the country severs links with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, saying Kenya still needed the institutions and the West for development.
"We want help from them. We need their money. We will continue to get assistance from World Bank and IMF," the President said.
He told the leaders that his visit to the Middle East and Asia was bearing fruit, adding they were genuine development partners.
The leaders further demanded that police stop illegal arrests of Muslims in the pretext of fighting terrorism, interest free loans from the Agricultural Development Corporation and removal of police road blocks in northern Kenya. They also want Muslims to benefit from Government appointments, strengthening of community policing and speedy registration of Muslim colleges and universities. They demanded that problems faced by Muslim charities be addressed.
Reacting to the memorandum by the leaders who were led by Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims officials, the President said plans were afoot for Kenya to join the Organisation of Islamic Countries. He denied that the Government was discriminating against Muslims. The President added that the Government assisted by development partners would fund the construction of a university in Coast Province. He said the government would soon set up a Livestock Marketing Board and a Nomadic Education Board.
The Muslim leaders pledged support for President Kibaki in his bid for a second term.