SUBA SOUTH, Kenya – National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has revealed that the government has never fully funded Kenya’s free secondary education programme, placing the blame squarely on Parliament for approving inadequate budget allocations.
Speaking during a Thanksgiving event in his Suba South backyard on Friday, Mbadi dismissed criticism that the government was failing to disburse capitation funds, arguing that the root of the problem lies with lawmakers who endorse budgets that fall short of the actual cost of educating learners.
“We disbursed the entire amount allocated in the budget, but it is not enough,” he said. “The policy says we should give every secondary school student Sh22,000, but when you divide the current budget by the number of students, it works out to only Sh17,000. That has been the reality—even under President Uhuru Kenyatta.”
Capitation Shortfall Is Not New
According to government policy, day secondary school students are supposed to receive Sh22,000 annually, junior secondary learners Sh15,000, and primary pupils Sh1,400. But Mbadi noted that full capitation has never been met.
“In the latest budget, Parliament actually cut the proposed capitation amount further. So if they reduce the figure during budget approval, how do they expect the Treasury to pay the full Sh22,000?” he asked.
He emphasized that the first and second term allocations had been fully paid, but reiterated that the total amount was still below the policy threshold.
“We’re preparing to disburse the third term funds, but again, what’s available is not enough,” he added.
Free Secondary Schooling Is a Myth, Says CS
Mbadi also sought to correct what he called a widespread public misconception—that Kenya has fully implemented free secondary education.
He said former President Mwai Kibaki only introduced free primary education, while it was Uhuru Kenyatta who launched the subsidized secondary education programme.
“Yes, Uhuru later declared that secondary school should be free, but even then, the government never paid the full capitation amount per student,” Mbadi clarified.
He pointed out that school heads often complain about delays or shortfalls, but insisted the disbursements reflect what was approved in the budget—not negligence or mismanagement at the Treasury.
Proposes Bursary Overhaul to Bridge the Gap
To address the funding gap, Mbadi proposed pooling the KSh21 billion earmarked for bursaries under the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) to supplement school capitation.
He argued this would ensure that all students receive full funding without needing to seek financial help from their MPs.
“If we’re serious, we can agree that the 40% of NG-CDF reserved for bursaries can top up capitation. Then no student will have to beg for fees,” he said.
Mbadi further called for a harmonised approach to managing bursaries, suggesting that funds from NG-CDF, the Government Affirmative Action Fund (GAAF), and county bursaries be combined into a single pool to ensure equitable support for all learners.
“We should mop up all bursary funds into one basket and give every child in Kenya equal support,” he said. “That is my proposal as Treasury CS—but if anyone has a better idea, I’m open to it.”
A Call for Collaboration, Not Blame
The CS acknowledged the government’s limited fiscal space but urged MPs and stakeholders to collaborate with the Treasury to develop realistic solutions to the education funding gap.
“We’re reviewing revenue collection, and our priority is to raise the capitation to where it should be,” he said. “But let’s not pretend we are already funding every student at Sh22,000. That is simply not true—and we need to face that fact.”
