Confusion as some schools fail to get capitation money
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu fields questions on the floor of the Senate at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi on June 7, 2023.
Confusion abounds in the recent disbursement of capitation funds to schools, with some principals saying the amount is not enough, while others claim their schools did not receive any money at all.
School heads who spoke to Nation said they are still in the throes of a biting financial crisis despite the Ministry of Education releasing money a week ago.
While school administrators complain that the money sent was less than what they expected, Nation understands that heads of institutions that did not receive cash have failed to acknowledge receipt of the funds they received in January on the National Education Management Information System (Nemis).
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association chairperson Indimuli Kahi said the complaints were genuine as they had expected to receive about Sh9,000 per pupil but instead got Sh4,150.35.
A circular signed by Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang on June 14, 2023, confirms the amount disbursed. According to the PS, the funds are for the first term of 2023 and the third quarter of the 2022-23 financial year. Schools are in their second term.
“This is one of the issues we raised when we met the Cabinet Secretary [Ezekiel Machogu] last week and we were told that they are addressing the issue with the National Treasury. He also confirmed that, from the next financial year, the ministry will revert to disbursing funds on a 50:30:20 basis,” Mr Kahi told Nation.
Audit issues
He appealed to headteachers who have not acknowledged receipt of funds sent earlier to do so as this raises audit issues. After the ministry sends the money, headteachers are expected to issue official school receipts, upload them on Nemis and submit allocation lists signed by individual pupils to the sub-county education directors.
Headteachers of primary and junior secondary schools in Western and Nyanza have warned that learning in their institutions could be crippled if the Ministry of Education fails to address the capitation funding crisis.
The headteachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were unable to pay for extra-curricular activities to enable learners to participate in competitions from sub-county to county levels. Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Western regional secretary Patrick Chungani said the union had received the complaints and was consulting before responding.
Sub-county education directors in Kakamega County have asked headteachers of the affected institutions to urgently provide details of their schools’ bank accounts and enrolment records.
Kakamega Central Knut chairman Tom Ingolo described the situation in schools as dire.
“We are struggling to run the institutions due to numerous debts,” said a headteacher in Siaya County. Headteachers said there had been no communication or guidance from the ministry on how to deal with the issue.
Ministry warning
The Ministry of Education released Sh24 billion in capitation grants to primary and secondary schools and warned headteachers not to send pupils home for non-payment of fees. The amount was Sh4 billion short of what Mr Machogu had earlier promised to send to schools. He said, despite the delay, 85 per cent of pupils had paid their fees.
“We have been desperately calling our respective sub-county directors of education to explain what is happening and guide on the matter, but they have been avoiding the issue,” said a headteacher in Busia County.
Mr John Oguttu, the headteacher at Shauri Yako Primary and Junior Secondary School, said the delayed disbursement had affected normal academic programmes.
“We use the money to buy materials like chalk. If the government delays sending the money, it means that learning cannot take place,” he said.
In Siaya County, Ms Pamela Orondo, the headteacher at Urim Primary School, said her school had received the money, while a total of 60 schools in West Pokot County had not received the capitation due to lack of due process and accountability, Nation has established. Kapenguria headmaster Moses Ndeda said his school received the money as expected last week on Friday.
“We received Sh3,310 per pupil because we confirmed and uploaded the receipts," he said.
Chesta Girls head Patriciah Khagai Nandi said they had not received the school fees because they had not confirmed receipt.
"Most of the headmasters trusted the bursars to do the job but most of them did not acknowledge," she said, adding, some schools had started receiving the delayed funds.
School heads in Turkana County said they were in the dark about the system the Ministry of Education is relying on to disburse the capitation grants.
“There are schools that have registered pupils in Nemis but nothing has been reflected. My school, which has two accounts, has only received money in one account,” said one headteacher.
Katilu Boys Secondary School headteacher Steve Etee said most schools, especially in the arid regions, were struggling to feed learners.
“Schools in Turkana buy everything. They don't have farms to grow crops," said Turkana South MP John Namoit.
In Narok County, Knut branch official Simiren Soiyantet expressed concern over the delay.
In Samburu, headteachers said they were facing a crisis arising from the capitation fund crisis. They said the situation was made worse by parents' failure to pay school fees.
In Nakuru Town East, another headteacher confirmed that he had received the money, which he said was much less than expected. According to the headteacher, they received the disbursement but were never given a breakdown of how it was spent.
"The issue of Nemis is very critical and parents should also follow up to ensure that their children are enrolled. Apart from helping with the release of the capitation grant, it also assists the learner and the parents with other issues that may arise while the learner is still in school, including benefiting from the ministry's health insurance programme," said a headteacher in Nyandarua County.
Reporting by David Muchunguh, Benson Amadala, George Odiwuor and Adinasi Kassim, Derick Luvega, Oscar Kakai, Sammy Lutta, Geoffrey Ondieki And John Njoroge, Joseph Openda and Waikwa Maina
