The education sector could receive up to KSh1 trillion in the 2026-27 financial year if Parliament’s Budget and Appropriations Committee adopts recommendations tabled by the National Assembly’s Education Committee.
The 2026 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), currently under debate in the House, had proposed a resource ceiling of KSh767 billion for the sector out of the projected KSh4.7 trillion national budget. This represents a 9.1 per cent increase from the KSh702.7 billion allocated in the 2025–26 fiscal year. However, the share is lower than the 27.6 per cent of the total budget that education received last year.
Appearing before the committee last week, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok warned that the proposed allocation leaves a significant funding deficit. The State Department for Basic Education, with a proposed KSh134.77 billion, faces a shortfall of Sh111.07 billion against a requirement of KSh245.85 billion. He cautioned that the gap threatens the full implementation of primary, junior, and senior secondary education programmes as well as teacher training colleges.
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Of the KSh767 billion proposed, KSh737 billion is earmarked for recurrent expenditure while KSh30 billion is set aside for development. Bitok noted that both allocations fall short of departmental projections.
“Under the recurrent budget, the department has a proposed allocation of KSh118.7 billion against a requirement of KSh216.5 billion. Similarly, under development, the proposed allocation is Sh16 billion against a requirement of KSh29.4 billion,” he said, adding that the gap translates to a 45 per cent shortfall.
In its report to the Budget and Appropriations Committee, the Education Committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly recommended an additional KSh284 billion to cover critical financing gaps. The proposed increase would address higher education needs, including collective bargaining agreements for lecturers, medical cover for teachers under the Social Health Authority, student scholarships and loans, and pending bills owed by public universities.
Among the specific proposals are KSh1.1 billion for lecturers’ Collective Bargaining Agreement, KSh29.4 billion for university scholarships, and KSh67 billion for student loans under the new student-centred funding model. The committee also recommended KSh22 billion for TVET scholarships, KSh10 billion for teachers’ medical cover, KSh85 billion to clear universities’ pending bills, and KSh46 billion to support students placed in private universities.
For the basic education funding the BPS allocated KSh7 billion for free primary education against a demand of KSh15 billion, leaving a gap of KSh8.6 billion. For junior and senior schools, the committee proposed an additional KSh47.2 billion in capitation. Of this, KSh23.5 billion would raise capitation for 3.5 million senior school learners to KSh78.4 billion, up from KSh54.8 billion. Without the increment, 1.1 million learners risk missing out or receiving a reduced rate of Sh15,780 instead of Sh22,244.
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An additional KSh23.8 billion was recommended for junior schools to increase funding to Sh54.7 billion from the Sh30.9 billion proposed in the BPS. Without this, 1.6 million out of 3.6 million junior school learners would be left without capitation or face reduced funding to Sh8,536 instead of KSh15,042 per annum.
Examinations and invigilation would receive an extra KSh4.8 billion, raising the total to KSh14.7 billion from the proposed Sh9.9 billion. The committee also recommended KSh850 million on top of the KSh3 billion proposed for the school feeding programme targeting 2.8 million vulnerable learners. School infrastructure would receive an additional Sh1.5 billion to meet a Sh2.8 billion requirement.
“These critical resource gaps in the sector need to be addressed to ensure that what the BPS envisages in terms of scaling up investment in people through education, skills development, scientific training and innovation is realised,” the committee said in its report.
By Masaki Enock
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