- KESSHA Chairperson Willie Kuria has revealed that schools have received only Ksh14,050 per learner in their accounts, against an expected annual capitation of Ksh22,244.
- Kuria has disclosed that the MoE has retained Ksh2,000 per learner from this year’s disbursement, on top of an unresolved Ksh6,560 shortfall carried over from last year.
Learning activities in schools across the country face possible disruption after secondary school heads raised concerns over inadequate government capitation, just days after learners reported for the third term, leaving institutions struggling to meet operational costs.
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) Chairperson Willie Kuria said on Tuesday, September 1, that schools had not received the full amount of government funding allocated per learner, worsening financial pressure on institutions.
The government is expected to provide Ksh22,244 per learner annually, but schools have so far received a total capitation allocation of Ksh16,141 per student, leaving a shortfall of Ksh6,103. Kuria, however, clarified that the entire Ksh16,141 had not reached school bank accounts because Ksh2,000 per learner had been retained by the Ministry of Education to cater for expenses including textbooks and curricular activities.
As a result, schools have actually received Ksh14,050 per learner in their accounts.
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“This year we have not yet received the full capitation, just like last year and other years. You are aware that we are supposed to receive a capitation of Ksh22,244 per year per student,” Kuria stated.
“So far this year, what has landed in school accounts is Ksh14,050. We may say that the capitation released so far is Ksh16,141 per student, but it is not all that amount that is in school accounts,” he added.
The KESSHA chairperson said the situation was particularly concerning because schools were entering a new academic term while still dealing with funding gaps carried over from the previous year. According to Kuria, the Ministry released Ksh15,383 per learner last year, but retained Ksh811, leaving schools with Ksh14,572 per student in their accounts.
He said the previous year’s funding gap had not been addressed, placing additional pressure on school administrators as they continue providing education and meeting essential expenses.
“Last year there was a deficit of Ksh6,560 per learner, which was coming to Ksh22 billion plus for the students in the country. But now we started a new year. There is no compensation that we were able to get about last year,” he stated.
This development comes just a week after the Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Ogamba, announced the release of 18.5 billion to cater for learners in all public basic education institutions for the third term. He further directed school heads to use the funds prudently.
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The principals are now calling for the government to address the capitation shortfall to enable schools to operate effectively and avoid disruptions to learning during the third term.
By Bernard Magada
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