MPs question if education is still free as PS Bitok cites Ksh.77B underfunding

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok appeared before the committee for scrutiny of a special audit report on capitation and infrastructure grants in schools.

Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo told the meeting the government is supposed to provide about Ksh22,000 per learner but has been disbursing far less, asking who meets the deficit. 

He said, by his calculations, the amount is now closer to Ksh12,000 per learner, and suggested the country should openly move from “free” education to a subsidised model where parents pay the shortfall.

Teso South MP Mary Emase said leaders should be candid with parents if the State cannot afford the Ksh22,000 capitation.

“We are living a lie. We are preaching water and drinking wine. Can we just say we can’t afford the Sh22,000,” Emase said.

Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda urged the ministry to be clear on whether it can fund free education, while Aldai MP Marianne Kitany said the number of learners missing capitation has been rising, citing about one million learners in 2024.

Mathioya MP Edwin Mugo raised concerns that some schools were closing early due to funding gaps and asked about pending bills in secondary schools.

In response, Bitok said budgetary and enrolment data for the 2020/2021 to 2023/2024 fiscal years show underfunding at the secondary school level of Ksh76,995,346,067.

He said the approved capitation rate has remained at Ksh22,244 even as enrolment increased from 3,396,322 in 2020/2021 to 4,036,650 in 2023/2024, pushing the requirement from about Ksh75.5 billion to nearly Ksh89.8 billion.

 Bitok said the approved budget increased only marginally, resulting in a deficit that reached more than Ksh25.8 billion by 2023/2024.

The PS said the Ksh22,000 benchmark was set about a decade ago, but the ministry faces constraints due to allocations approved by Parliament.

He also told MPs that in the absence of a clear policy on how public schools should bridge the funding gap, some institutions impose different levies, leaving decisions to County Education officers.

Bitok said the ministry was wiring Ksh23.4 billion in capitation and expressed hope that schools would receive the funds by Friday, ahead of the new term.

PAC chair Tindi Mwale faulted budget priorities, arguing that education funding should be treated as urgent.

“You cannot be allocating money to roads… and you don’t allocate money for our children,” Mwale said.