Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei told the Senate on Wednesday that eight in ten Members of Parliament would be removed from office if a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) were made a minimum requirement for holding a seat, according to The Star, Kenya.
Speaking during a debate on the qualifications of people who run miraa cooperative societies, Cherargei argued that lawmakers should face the same academic standard they were proposing for others. The Star, Kenya reports that he said 80 per cent of MPs would "go home" if a Form Four certificate were demanded in Parliament today.
Cherargei also suggested that some legislators may hold no formal academic papers beyond birth and baptismal certificates. He noted that Parliament does not currently require candidates to reach any particular level of schooling before contesting an elective seat.
Why it matters
The remarks touch on a long-running question in Kenyan politics: whether elected leaders should be held to a formal education threshold. The Constitution sets no minimum academic qualification for election to the National Assembly or the Senate, and an attempt to impose one through the Elections Act was struck down by the High Court in April 2022.
Cherargei's intervention also widened the debate beyond Parliament. He was responding to calls for academic requirements for officials of miraa cooperative societies, and he used the floor of the Senate to argue that the same test, if applied to lawmakers, would thin their ranks sharply.
A challenge to lawmakers over cooperative rules
The exchange arose while senators were discussing who should be allowed to manage miraa cooperative societies. According to The Star, Kenya, Cherargei defended the participation of farmers with limited formal education, saying they should not be shut out of running their own organisations.
He acknowledged that some miraa farmers, especially older ones, may not understand English. In his view, that should not disqualify them from managing a cooperative.
Cherargei said societies based in villages should be permitted to operate in the way they have established, as long as they follow the law and remain transparent and accountable. The Star, Kenya quotes him saying they should be allowed to run as they know how, provided they stay lawful, open and answerable.
He warned that adding academic requirements for cooperative officials could push out people who have managed the societies for years and who understand what their members need. He then turned the argument on his fellow legislators, asking them to weigh the consequences of applying a similar academic bar to elected leaders before imposing one on grassroots organisations.
What the Constitution says
Kenya's Constitution does not set a minimum academic qualification for election to the National Assembly or the Senate. Article 99 lists the qualifications and disqualifications for election as an MP. It requires a candidate to be a registered voter and to meet any educational, moral and ethical requirements set out in the Constitution or an Act of Parliament, but it does not name a KCSE certificate, a Form Four qualification or a university degree as a mandatory threshold.
The issue has been tested in court. The Elections Act once required parliamentary candidates to hold a university degree recognised in Kenya. In April 2022, the High Court ruled that provision unconstitutional, finding that the process used to introduce it had not met the constitutional requirements for public participation. The decision removed the degree requirement for people seeking parliamentary seats.
Cherargei's claim about the academic standing of MPs is his own assertion, made on the Senate floor, and no supporting data was cited in the report. The Star, Kenya attributes the 80 per cent figure to the senator.
The debate over qualifications for cooperative officials is expected to continue in the Senate, with the question of whether Parliament should itself be subject to an academic minimum likely to resurface.
