- From the Sh44 billion purse, the government carved out KSh3.7 billion for free primary education, KSh14.4 billion to anchor junior schools, and KSh26.6 billion to sustain free day secondary education.
The Kenyan government has trumpeted its resolve to uplift education, yet the echoes of last year’s shortcomings refuse to fade. President William Ruto, in a bid to showcase fiscal discipline, has confirmed the release of KSh44 billion to primary, junior, and senior schools—hailed as a historic strike of the clock. But beneath the applause, critics warn that the ledger of arrears still casts a long shadow over classrooms.
In December 2025, while speaking in Narok County, President Ruto dismissed claims of reduced school capitation as nothing more than political stagecraft. He branded the claims as theatrics designed to smear his administration’s push to fortify the education sector.
On January 7, 2025, after a briefing from Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba, President William Ruto struck a triumphant note, hyping his government’s record of seamless academic transitions.
“For the first time ever, we have paid KSh44 billion in capitation for primary, junior, and senior schools before institutions reopened this week. This amount represents 50 per cent of this year’s total funding. The remaining 30 per cent and 20 per cent will be paid in the next two terms, respectively,” Dr Ruto states.
From the Sh44 billion purse, the government carved out KSh3.7 billion for free Primary Education, KSh14.4 billion to anchor Junior schools, and KSh26.6 billion to sustain free day Secondary Education.
However, Kiharu Member of Parliament (MP) Ndindi Nyoro has torn into the government’s narrative, accusing it of falling short of the truth. He has argued that the Sh44 billion fanfare masks a deeper wound of unpaid arrears from 2025 that still choke schools, leaving them strapped and struggling to stay afloat.
“KSh26 billion was released for senior secondary. However, the Government had arrears of KSh22.5 billion owed to schools for the year 2025. It therefore means they only disbursed KSh3.5 billion, which is equivalent to KSh109 per learner for the 1st term (2026),” Nyoro notes.
Nyoro has warned that beneath the government’s grand declarations lies a storm that could cripple classrooms nationwide. He argues that schools are being pushed into debt just to cover daily operations, with looming cracks in the provision of learning materials, the payment of support staff, the upkeep of infrastructure, co-curricular programs, and—ultimately—the very quality of education itself.
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