The government has admitted it cannot sustain the Ksh22,000 annual capitation per secondary school student, with Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba revealing that budget constraints have forced the amount to be revised downward.
This admission follows a Parliamentary Committee on Education session held Thursday, July 24, during which MPs questioned why schools received only Ksh16,900 per student.
“The budgets cannot support the 22,000 shillings,” CS John Mbadi said.
Mbadi further explained that while the program had been envisioned under a subsidized model, implementation had gradually shifted towards an unsustainable free education framework.
“President Kibaki started the free primary education. President Uhuru came with subsidies. Then somehow, he escalated it to free.” The CS further explained. "Currently, learners are provided with tuition and operational costs at Ksh1,420 for Primary Education. For Junior Secondary it is 15,042 per child, and 22,000 per capita for high schools.”
Read More
However, he noted that maintaining the Ksh22,000 per student target had become unrealistic due to a rising number of students, limited classroom space, and underperforming revenue streams.
Education CS Julius Ogamba sought to assure Parliament and the public that efforts were underway to ensure disbursement efficiency.
“The Ministry has taken steps to ensure timely disbursement of capitation at the rate of 50, 30, and 20 percent for the first term, second, and third term respectively,” Ogamba said.
The committee also raised alarm over funds allocated to “ghost schools,” demanding further scrutiny into the criteria used for school listings and fund disbursement.
