The Ministry of Education (MoE) has announced the release of Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) funds for the first term of 2026, covering the second quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year.
According to a circular signed by Principal Secretary, State Department for Basic Education, Prof. Julius Bitok, dated November 28, 2025, each student will receive an allocation of Kshs.7,952.04.
The enrolment data used for the disbursement was extracted from the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) on April 22, 2025, and later verified by Heads of Institutions and Sub‑County Directors of Education on November 24, 2025.
Under tuition, Kshs.1,072.00 per learner has been allocated for teaching and learning materials, while Kshs.900.00 has been remitted to the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) for centralized procurement of textbooks.
A further Kshs.100.00 per learner has been remitted to CEMESTEA for capacity building under the SMASSE programme, bringing the tuition subtotal to Kshs.2,072.00.
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For operations, Kshs. 1,500.00 has been set aside for maintenance and improvement, Kshs.3,055.04 for personnel emoluments, electricity, water and conservancy, and administrative costs, Kshs.575.00 for medical and insurance, and Kshs.375.00 retained for centralized co‑curricular activities.
The operations subtotal stands at Kshs.5,880.04, bringing the total allocation per learner to Kshs.7,952.04.
MoE directed that principals must acknowledge receipt of the funds by issuing official school receipts to the Principal Secretary, with copies to Sub‑County Directors of Education and County Directors of Education.
Schools are also required to upload receipts through NEMIS, provide signed allocations by individual students, and ensure each student signs form lists showing admission numbers and full names as per the admission register. “These lists must be attached to payment vouchers and every student issued with an official school receipt. The acknowledgement process must be completed within two weeks of receipt; failure to which further disbursements will be suspended.” The circular read.
County and Sub‑County Directors of Education have been instructed to authenticate and monitor enrolment data, with schools required to refund any excess funds received if enrolment is lower than the figures used for disbursement.
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Additionally, the circular directed that maintenance and improvement funds must be transferred from the operations account to the infrastructure account within 15 days of receipt, in line with the Auditor‑General’s directive issued on June 16, 2021.
MoE also reminded schools of the ongoing registration of learners under the Social Health Authority’s universal medical scheme, in line with the constitutional right to health. “Schools are required to inform parents and provide guidance to ensure smooth registration of all secondary school students under the scheme.” The circular read.
Bitok directed all County Directors of Education to communicate the contents of the circular to principals of public secondary schools within their jurisdictions.
By Our Reporter
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