On April 22, 2026, in Nairobi, Kenya, lawmakers are advocating for a significant shift in the country’s education policy. They propose declaring education as subsidized rather than fully free. This comes after the government admitted it has struggled to finance its free education program adequately.
Currently, more than 1.1 million secondary school learners lack capitation funding. The government’s policy sets capitation at Sh22,044 per learner, but schools receive an average of only Sh15,844.38. This underfunding has led to a cumulative deficit of over Sh71 billion across secondary schools between the fiscal years 2020/21 and 2023/24.
Junior Secondary Schools alone recorded a staggering deficit of Sh31.9 billion. The number of learners without adequate funding has increased sharply—from 724,959 in 2020/21 to 1,161,349 in 2023/24.
The capitation model does not meet the real needs of schools. Wilberforce Oundo highlighted this issue: “Who foots that particular deficit of capitation? You should make a policy directive that we are not having free education but subsidised education.” His remarks underscore the growing concern about financial sustainability in the education sector.
Another expert, Nabii Nabwera, pointed out that inflation has reduced the effective capitation amount: “The capitation is actually 12,000 and not 15,000 if we factor inflation because the value of money now and when the capitation was calculated is not the same.” This illustrates the urgency for a reassessment of funding models.
The state department acknowledges discrepancies between actual student enrollments and those registered in the National Education Management Information System (Nemis). Edwin Mugo raised further concerns about pending bills in universities impacting sustainability: “Can we have an analysis on the pending bills in secondary schools?”
This sequence of events matters greatly for students and educational institutions alike. Without adequate funding, schools face challenges in delivering quality education. The proposed changes could reshape how education is financed and accessed across Kenya.
As discussions continue, stakeholders await clarity on how these proposals will unfold. The future of education funding remains uncertain amidst these ongoing debates.
