Nairobi, August 25- Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has announced that the National Treasury will on Tuesday, August 26, release funds for school capitation to the Ministry of Education, easing fears of possible disruptions in learning.
Mbadi revealed that Ksh23 billion will be disbursed to schools, alongside additional allocations to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), following a directive from President William Ruto.
Speaking at the launch of the FY 2026/27 and Medium-Term Budget Preparation Process at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Monday, August 25, the CS acknowledged that inadequate capitation funding has hindered the education sector for the past seven years.
““We have not been giving money for capitation for seven years, and I have no apologies to make. We have sat with the PSs and CS for Education under the president’s instruction, and we have identified the gap. We want to increase resources for capitation so that our children can stay in school. Tomorrow, we are releasing Ksh17 billion and Ksh5.9 billion for examinations, and we should also give more money to HELB,” Mbadi said.
Kenya’s capitation programme allocates Ksh22,144 per secondary school student annually, disbursed in three tranches: Ksh11,122 in the first term, Ksh6,673 in the second, and Ksh4,439 in the third.
However, the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) has repeatedly raised concerns about delays in disbursement, saying they have left school heads struggling to run institutions. In a statement on July 15, KESSHA noted that the government still owes schools Ksh7.6 billion for the first term and Ksh10.6 billion for the second.
“Most school heads are playing hide-and-seek with suppliers due to lack of funds. Qualified Board of Management teachers are being laid off, which compromises the quality of education,” KESSHA warned.
The Treasury’s move also comes shortly after HELB disbursed Ksh9.6 billion to more than 300,000 students in tertiary institutions. According to the board, Ksh5.76 billion went towards tuition fees, while Ksh3.7 billion catered for student upkeep. In total, 309,178 students received loans.
HELB has since urged beneficiaries to log in to their student portals to confirm receipt of the funds and review their loan details.
