Kenya’s education system faces a significant threat due to a chronic funding shortfall and a severe teacher deficit, according to a new analysis report by Oxfam Kenya.
The report, “Kenya’s Inequality Crisis: The Great Economic Divide,” highlights that these systemic issues are adversely affecting children from low-income communities, thereby having an effect on the nation.
Kenya currently needs approximately Ksh72.8 billion annually to recruit and retain the nearly 100,000 additional educators required to adequately staff primary and secondary schools. This massive teacher shortage is placing immense pressure on existing classrooms, ultimately diminishing learning quality, particularly in marginalized areas and informal urban settlements.
While President William Ruto’s government has publicly committed to hiring 24,000 teachers by January 2026 to complement the 76,000 already employed and hit a 100,000 recruitment target within three years, the report suggests a more immediate and substantial financial injection is critical.
The report maintains that although Kenya’s education budget has averaged 17% of government spending over the past decade within the recommended global range of 15-20%, the education sector continues to face a funding crisis. Capitation grants per learner have stagnated for years, with Free Primary Education funding stuck at Ksh1,420 since 2003, now equivalent to just Ksh250 after inflation adjustments.
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“Secondary school capitation (per-learner funding for school operations, materials, and non-teaching staff) has remained unchanged since 2018 at Ksh22,244. Between 2020 and 2024, with public schools facing a funding gap of Ksh117 billion and special needs institutions suffering a 50% cent shortfall.” Reads the report
“Inadequate and declining funding is forcing many schools into debt, undermining learning and even leading to premature closures,” the report cautions. It adds that urban schools generally receive more resources, leaving marginalised regions further behind.
Beyond staffing, the report highlights challenges in early childhood education, noting that county governments allocate only 7% of their budgets to the sector due to the decentralized nature of Early Childhood Education (ECE), this underinvestment has forced many families to depend on informal childcare centres with untrained personnel and poor facilities.
Poverty and malnutrition also act as significant barriers to learning with data showing that 28% of children in the poorest segment of the population suffer from stunting, compared to nine per cent in the wealthiest group, which severely hinders cognitive development and academic performance.
In the higher education sector, the government’s new financing model which combines scholarships, loans, and household contributions has also come under scrutiny. Though designed to offer scholarships and ease the burden, the system is excluding the neediest, resulting in delayed disbursemsnt and heavy loan repayments.
This disparity means that only 1% per cent of leaners from the poorest segment achieve tertiary education, compared to 45% from the richest segment.
The report also identifies climate change as a growing threat to education, citing floods and extreme weather that have destroyed infrastructure, displaced families, and disrupted learning. The report specifically warns that girls are more susceptible during these crises, facing increased risks of transactional sex and forced marriage.
The report by Oxfam concludes by calling for urgent and sustained investment to strengthen teacher recruitment, expand early childhood education, improve school resources, and reduce inequalities between wealthy and marginalised communities. Without such measures, the report warns, Kenya’s education system risks deepening the divide between rich and poor.
By Masaki Enock
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