RESHUFFLE: Bitok Out Of Education Docket, Ololtuaa Takes Over

 President William Ruto has reassigned Basic Education Principal Secretary Amb. Prof. Julius Bitok to the State Department for Tourism, with Tourism Principal Secretary John Lekakeny Ololtuaa taking over the education docket.

The changes were announced on Tuesday in a notification of presidential action issued by Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service Felix K. Koskei.

According to the notice, Bitok and Ololtuaa have swapped positions, with Bitok moving to Tourism and Ololtuaa taking charge of Basic Education.

The Executive Office of the President said the reassignments were sanctioned by President Ruto and take effect immediately.
The notification, dated June 9, 2026, was signed by Koskei. In March 2025, Bitok took over as PS Basic Education after swapping dockets with Belio Kipsang, who moved to Immigration. 

Ololtuaa takes over the Basic Education docket at a time when the government is grappling with a wave of school unrest and fires that have led to the closure of several learning institutions across the country.

Bitok has also been under fire lately over his approach to unrest across schools. In the recent past, schools have seen learners go on strike, with others setting the institutions ablaze in show of disapproval to various routine issues, including examinations' schedules. In his reaction, Bitok faulted school heads for not listening to the learners. He warned school administrations for neglecting student concerns, pointing to exam timetables as a trigger for unrest. He argued that learners often resort to burning schools out of frustration, urging heads to engage them instead of forcing exams or unwanted activities.

 He also faulted parents for shielding children from discipline, stressing their role in shaping responsible behaviour. His argument was however dismissed by some quarters, which argued he was mishandling the technical responsibility he had been entrusted with of providing policy guidance to the president and the country.