Ruto Directs Integration of Madrasa and Duksi Into Kenya Basic Education

President William Ruto directed the Ministry of Education on 1 June 2026 to begin consultations on formally integrating Madrasa, Duksi, and pastoral instruction programmes into Kenya's basic education framework. The directive was issued during the 63rd Madaraka Day celebrations in Wajir County.

Ruto said the government will establish a clear legal and policy framework to recognise alternative learning pathways that have traditionally operated outside the formal education system.

Duksi is a foundational religious learning institution for young children, particularly in Somali-dominated regions. "Today I direct the Cabinet Secretary for Education to engage all relevant stakeholders and take the necessary measures under the Basic Education Act to consult widely and recommend appropriate measures for the formal integration of the same," Ruto said.

"This will ensure that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, has a recognised pathway into learning, skills and opportunity.

Every child deserves a door into learning. " The President noted that the absence of an official framework for these programmes had left many children, particularly in northern Kenya and other marginalised regions, without recognised educational pathways. The directive formed part of a broader government agenda aimed at promoting inclusion and addressing historical inequalities in northern Kenya.

Ruto said education remains the most powerful tool for transforming lives and unlocking economic opportunities. He stated that the education budget has grown from Sh500 billion in 2022 to more than Sh702 billion today, while over 100,000 teachers have been recruited in the last three years, with an additional 20,000 set to be employed.

He highlighted efforts to address chronic teacher shortages in northern Kenya through an affirmative action programme that has led to the operationalisation of teacher training colleges in Wajir, Kutulo and Mandera.

"Today, through this affirmative action programme, a record 1,800 local teachers from Wajir, Mandera and Garissa counties have been employed and will be deployed in the region," he said. The President also revealed that 4,616 students from the region are currently enrolled in teacher training colleges, the highest number recorded in the area's history.

Beyond education reforms, Ruto used the national celebrations to defend his administration's decision to abolish the controversial vetting process for national identity cards in northern Kenya, saying the move was intended to end decades of discrimination against legitimate Kenyan citizens.

He recounted the experience of a Wajir resident who, despite being born in Kenya, repeatedly faced hurdles in obtaining a national identity card. "For more than six decades, this was the lived experience of hundreds of thousands of Kenyans in northern Kenya," Ruto said. "We did not abolish verification of citizenship.

The President said the reforms introduced through the Presidential Declaration on Registration and Issuance of IDs and Birth Certificates in Northern Kenya, signed in Wajir in February 2025, have already enabled thousands of young people to obtain identity documents without extra vetting procedures.

Ruto further outlined major government investments in education, healthcare, housing, roads, and livestock development across northern Kenya. He announced that construction of a civilian terminal at Wajir Airport will begin before the end of 2026 and confirmed plans to establish a university in the county.

"Wajir is not the edge of Kenya, Wajir is Kenya," Ruto said.