The Government Says It Can’t Fully Fund Free Education. Parents, Brace Yourselves
NAIROBI, Kenya — Free education in Kenya is no longer exactly “free” — at least not in the way parents have come to expect. Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has confirmed what many feared: the government simply can’t afford to fully fund public primary and secondary schools anymore.
Appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee on Thursday, Mbadi broke the news that capitation for secondary school students is being cut from the promised Sh22,000 to Sh16,600. The budget strain is just too much.
“If you look at the total budget for the year and divide it by the number of total students, you will see that instead of Sh22,000, we are funding about Sh16,000,” Mbadi explained, adding that the disbursement now happens in phases — 50%, then 30%, and finally 20%. “As to whether it is enough, it is not.”
In plain terms: parents are going to feel the pinch — and soon.
The timing couldn’t be worse. The education sector is already reeling from scandals involving ghost schools, ballooning debts, and a digital system overhaul that isn’t quite hitting the mark.
Now, parents are staring down the possibility of footing a larger portion of the education bill, and MPs are not amused.
MPs on the Education Committee demanded accountability and transparency from both the Treasury and the Ministry of Education, especially after recent revelations from the Auditor General that funds were being sent to schools that don’t even exist.
“Ghost schools have received money that wasn’t approved by this committee,” said Luanda MP Dick Maungu in disbelief.
Teso South’s Mary Emasse chimed in with concerns over the ghost school payments, while Igembe North MP Julius Taitumu questioned how such a major financial blunder could happen with ministry directors in place.
Education CS Migos Ogamba didn’t deny the scandal’s weight. “If money went to schools that do not exist, that is a criminal offence. Nobody can defend that. If it happened, the matter will be handed over to the DCI,” he said.
Meanwhile, the new Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), which was supposed to streamline student registration and capitation tracking, is under fire.
MPs argue that the system is flawed, with many students still unregistered and therefore missing out on much-needed funding.
“Many students are not receiving capitation according to actual enrollment because of KEMIS,” Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap said, revealing that TVET institutions alone are owed Sh12.5 billion.
Ogamba acknowledged the issue but assured the committee that the ministry is working on improving the system to “ensure efficiency.”
In a bit of silver lining, the Education Ministry says it plans to employ up to 24,000 intern teachers in the new financial year — a move that could help ease classroom congestion and unemployment woes.
Still, the broader message is clear: the promise of free basic education is fraying, and parents will likely be left patching up the gap.
