NAIROBI, Kenya – The government has released over Sh22 billion in capitation funds to public basic education institutions across the country, offering much-needed relief to school heads who had been grappling with delayed disbursements since the start of the term.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba announced on Tuesday that a total of Sh22,028,911,191.40 has been disbursed to support learners across all levels of basic education for Term 2.
The funds will be distributed as follows:
- Sh1.37 billion for Free Primary Education
- Sh8.9 billion for Free Day Junior School Education
- Sh118.4 million for Special Needs Education in Junior Schools
- Sh11.64 billion for Free Day Secondary Education
“The release of capitation funds will facilitate the smooth running of school activities during the new term,” Ogamba said, adding that the government remains committed to upholding the right to free and compulsory basic education as guaranteed in Article 53(1)(b) of the Constitution.
The disbursement comes nearly two weeks after the funds were initially expected.
The Ministry of Education had pledged to release capitation by May 9, the end of the second week of the school term, but delays left many public schools struggling to pay non-teaching staff, clear debts, and maintain regular learning and co-curricular activities.
Ogamba, speaking at the Naivasha Education Conference earlier this month, had attributed the delay to competition for limited government resources and occasional Exchequer bottlenecks.
“Some of the government-funded programmes, as you already know, are extremely costly. As a result, we have on some occasions lagged behind in the disbursement of capitation funds,” he explained.
With funds now reaching school accounts, heads of institutions have been urged to use them prudently and transparently.
Ogamba cautioned against the imposition of unauthorized levies and warned that any cases of misappropriation will be met with firm action.
“As a Ministry, we will take decisive action against any misuse of resources or unlawful charges imposed on learners,” he said.
The Ministry is also calling on education stakeholders to monitor the use of capitation funds at the school level to ensure accountability and maximum benefit for learners.
