Public schools choking in debt as ministry admits to Ksh.64 billion in pending bills

Public primary and secondary schools are choking in debt, with the Ministry of Education admitting that schools could be grappling with debts of up to Ksh.64 billion accumulated over the years.

According to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, the situation is becoming dire as budget cuts continue to affect the education sector, leading to reduced disbursements to schools.

Speaking when he appeared before the National Assembly Education Committee, Ogamba admitted that the ministry does not have the exact figure of pending bills owed by schools.

“I didn’t come with that figure. The figure raised by Hon. Robert Mbui of Ksh.64 billion could be correct. The question we are grappling with is: what do we do with it? Yet we’re still not getting what we budgeted for,” he said.

According to the ministry, schools are still not receiving what is due to them, with only 50% of the allocated funds having been disbursed this financial year.

Even with schools well into the second term, the ministry has disbursed only Ksh.28.8 billion for 3.2 million learners, leaving a deficit of Ksh.7.5 billion for the financial year.

At the primary level, schools received Ksh.1,420 per child annually, disbursed termly in a 50:30:20 ratio. Despite a revised recommended rate of Ksh.2,238 proposed by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform, funding remains below the required amount.

Junior secondary schools are similarly underfunded, receiving only half of the Ksh.15,043 allocated annually per learner.

The persistent budget deficits led members of the committee, led by Julius Melly, to question whether the country is truly providing free education, and the impact these cuts have on the quality of learning in schools.

“If you feel that it may be difficult for the ministry to afford it, then at some point you need to introduce some form of cost-sharing so that parents can assist. That could be better than insisting that you are funding education, yet it’s the children who are affected,” said Deputy Minority Leader Robert Mbui.

The committee challenged the ministry to declare whether the government is able to fully fund education given the limited resources available.

“I think we need to have this conversation as a country: can we afford to continue fully funding education with the increasing numbers and the lack of resources we are experiencing?” posed Committee Chair Melly.

Committee members also raised concerns about a significant amount of capitation funds that remain unremitted by the ministry.

For example, every learner is supposed to receive KSh 76 for co-curricular activities in primary schools, yet Ksh.40 remains at the ministry.