Members of Parliament have rallied behind a proposal to raise the education sector budget by KSh284 billion, warning that without urgent intervention, schools and universities across the country face crippling shortfalls.
The National Assembly’s Education Committee, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, told the Budget and Appropriations Committee that the 2026/27 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) falls far short of what is needed to sustain learning.
Melly warned that millions of learners risk missing full capitation, while universities continue to struggle with unpaid bills and underfunded scholarship programmes.
In its submission, the committee highlighted critical gaps in primary and secondary education.
For primary schools, it recommended an additional KSh8.6 billion to cover capitation, noting that 6.4 million learners require KSh15 billion at KSh2,330 each. With only KSh7 billion allocated, the deficit leaves 3.7 million learners unfunded or forces all learners to receive just KSh1,096 each.
For Secondary education, senior schools require KSh78.4 billion to support 3.5 million learners at Sh22,244 each, yet only KSh54.8 billion has been allocated, leaving a KSh23.5 billion shortfall.
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Junior secondary schools need KSh54.7 billion to cater for 3.6 million learners at KSh15,042 each, but the BPS provides KSh30.9 billion, creating a KSh23.8 billion deficit. This means 1.6 million learners risk missing capitation or all learners being funded at Sh8,536 each.
The committee also noted that the school meals initiative requires KSh3.8 billion to reach 2.8 million needy learners but has only KSh3 billion, leaving a KSh850 million gap.
Examinations and invigilation need KSh14.7 billion, yet only KSh9.9 billion has been allocated, creating a KSh4.8 billion deficit. Infrastructure development is similarly underfunded, with KSh1.3 billion allocated against a requirement of KSh2.8 billion.
At the university level, the committee called for KSh29.4 billion more for scholarships and KSh67 billion for loans under the student-centred funding model. It also requested KSh85 billion to settle pending bills in public universities, KSh46 billion to support government-sponsored students previously admitted to private universities, and KSh1.1 billion to meet Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) obligations for university staff.
For the Technical and vocational education, the committee proposed KSh22 billion for TVET scholarships, alongside KSh10 billion for teachers’ medical cover under the Social Health Authority (SHA) and KSh5.3 billion for group life, accident, and WIBA obligations through the Teachers Service Commission.
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“These critical resource gaps must be addressed if the 2026/27 BPS vision of scaling up investment in people through education, skills development, scientific training and innovation is to be realised,” the committee’s report stated.
The 2026/27 BPS has proposed an overall ceiling of KSh767 billion for the education sector, comprising KSh737 billion in recurrent expenditure and KSh30 billion for development. This represents a nine percent increase from the 2025 baseline of KSh703 billion. More than 55 percent of the allocation is earmarked for the Teachers Service Commission, with the remainder spread across other departments.
The Budget and Appropriations Committee shall table a comprehensive report before the house next week as MPs insist that without the additional KSh284 billion, the country risks undermining the Competency-Based Education (CBE) reforms and jeopardising the future of millions of learners.
By Masaki Enock
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