“Kenya Can’t Afford Free Education!” – Treasury’s Mbadi Claims
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has ruled out the option of offering free education for all Kenyan students, citing significant fiscal constraints.
Mbadi revealed in an interview with Ramogi TV on Tuesday, February 3, that the government’s budget allocation to the education sector was insufficient to cover all of the learners’ fees, and that the government merely subsidises education prices.
Mbadi described the scope of the problem by quoting enrolment numbers from the education sector.
He claimed that the country has roughly 11 million primary school students, 4 million secondary school students, and around 650,000 university students.
According to the CS, the government allocates Ksh22,000 each student for secondary education, which adds up to Ksh88 billion when multiplied by 4 million students.
At the same time, the government provides each primary school student with a fee subsidy of Ksh3,000, which, when multiplied by 11 million students, is Ksh33 billion.
According to Mbadi, when Ksh88 billion is combined with Ksh33 billion, the education budget exceeds the recommended boundaries.
“If you confirm these amounts with our budget, you will realise it will not be enough,” Mbadi stated.
“I saw people saying that we should consolidate all the bursaries, but I once had such a proposal, but it is still not viable.”
He went on to describe the expense of secondary education, stating that boarding institutions cost almost Ksh75,000 per child annually, while day schools cost roughly Ksh35,000.
From this amount, the government subsidises Ksh22,000 for boarding students and Ksh12,000 for day scholars, with parents covering the balance.
Mbadi argued that even if all secondary school students were turned into day schools and the government attempted to fully clear their fees, the education budget would still be insufficient.
“If all secondary school children were in day schools and we decided to clear their fees in totality, it would still not be sustainable for our education budget,” he revealed.
He cautioned Kenyans against calling for free education without understanding its financial implications.
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The CS noted that even former President Mwai Kibaki’s free education policy was limited only to primary schools.
“Even Mwai Kibaki only gave free primary education, but not for all children,” the CS argued.
“If we want to finance free education in Kenya, we have to free up money from other areas in the budget.”
Kenya must seize the moment and offer free and Totally FREE Basic Education now. It is possible. It should be now.
— Ndindi Nyoro (@NdindiNyoro) January 28, 2026
We are African and Africa is our Business.. pic.twitter.com/8JzSNcQaRe
Mbadi’s remarks come amid growing public pressure on the government to increase education funding as the cost of living and school fees continue to rise.
“Kenya Can’t Afford Free Education!” – Treasury’s Mbadi Claims
The problem is the campaign promises which remain unmet. Cairo was not built on a day. Let politicians of the day not be over ambitious. Laypeople may misinterpret rhetorics in political circles to woo voters. Siasa mbaya maisha mbaya