‘No More Free Education!’ – Kenya’s Treasury CS Declares
The government has admitted that it can no longer completely fund free education in public primary and secondary schools.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi says the financial burden is too much for the state to bear, necessitating a reduction in capitation funding.
Mbadi told the National Assembly Committee on Education on Thursday that the government cannot support the entire capitation of Ksh.22,000 per secondary school student since it only has Ksh.16,600 available.
This development may prompt parents to dig deeper into their pockets at a time when the education sector is already fraught with controversy, ranging from ghost schools to unpaid debts, among other issues.
“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 Ksh.22,000, we are funding about Ksh.16,000,” said Mbadi.
“And so we release 50%, 30%, then 20%. As to whether it is enough, it is not.”
Mbadi: No funds for free education
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 24, 2025
CS Mbadi says govt can't sustain free education anymore
Mbadi: No money for free primary, secondary education
Capitation grant for secondary schools reduced to Ksh. 16,900
Mbadi: We can't afford paying ksh 22,400 per child#CitizenTonight pic.twitter.com/sjqDvhgiwg
As a result, parents will be responsible for a greater portion of their children’s school expenses.
This comment alarmed MPs, who are now demanding honesty from both the Education and Treasury ministries.
This comes only days after the Auditor General found that public funds were spent on non-existent schools last year.
Migos Ogamba, the Education Cabinet Secretary, was on the receiving end.
“Ghost schools have received money that wasn’t approved by this committee,” said Luanda MP Dick Maungu.
Teso South MP Mary Emasse added, “We need a response on the ghost schools. We have serious concerns with what has been presented.”
Igembe North MP Julius Taitumu, on his part, said, “You have directors in the ministry—how can ghost schools just get money just like that?”
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In his response, CS Ogamba said, “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.”
The education committee also questioned the performance of the new Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS).
They further stated that many students remain unregistered and hence miss out on capitation funding.
“Many students are not receiving capitation according to actual enrollment because of KEMIS. And TVETs alone are carrying a Ksh.12.5 billion,” noted Baringo North MP, Joseph Makilap.
CS Ogamba added, “The ministry is currently developing the system to ensure efficiency.”
Even as capitation is in uncertainty and parents face higher expenditures, the Ministry of Education says it will hire up to 24,000 intern instructors this fiscal year.
‘No More Free Education!’ – Kenya’s Treasury CS Declares
