The Ministry of Education has released Sh24 billion in capitation funds to primary and secondary schools with warnings to principals against sending students home for not paying school fees.
The amount is Sh4 billion short of what Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu had promised to send to schools a week ago. This comes amid reports that schools had started sending learners home to collect fees following the delayed disbursement of the funds.
However, Mr Machogu said that, despite the delay, 85 per cent of parents had paid school fees.
By Friday last week, schools had received the money but principals and other education stakeholders complained that the money was insufficient to cater for the huge debts schools owe. Some of the principals who spoke to Nation on condition of anonymity claimed they are struggling to run schools.
“We don’t know how to use these funds with the debts we have been incurring, but yes we have received capitation although it is little. We cannot rely on school fees, especially for boarding schools like mine which is a national school,” said a principal.
School heads now want the Ministry of Education to send circulars with guidelines on how the funds should be utilised.
Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba, who is also the national chair of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers, said the CS had promised the National Assembly last week that Sh28 billion would be sent to schools.
“The CS promised the National Assembly that he would be sending Sh28 billion but he fell short by about Sh4 billion. I want Kenyans to know that the actual amount sent to schools was Sh24 billion only. The CS lied to Parliament. He needs to come out clearly and explain why he lied,” said Mr Milemba.
“The money sent was simply clearing the debt for 2022, meaning schools will use this amount to pay last year’s debts. But in terms of management of tuition and other undertaking in schools for this year, nothing has been sent,” he added.
Mr Machogu said that there was no crisis in schools and that boarding schools collect fees from parents and are not broke as claimed by principals.
“For instance, national schools per year collect around Sh53,000 per child, and I know parents pay school fees. So there is no cause for alarm, we are giving them money this week. The delays were orchestrated by last week’s public holiday but things are okay,” said the CS.
In an interview with Nation, the CS said schools should use the fees they collect prudently as they await the capitation.
“[In] each school, you will get parents who don't pay fees but they are 15 per cent. However,85 per cent of parents are responsible and they pay fees; that’s according to our data. Schools are not supposed to send students home due to lack of fees, that is wrong,” he added.
“However, we encourage parents to pay fees,” said the CS.
On Wednesday last week, Mr Machogu assured schools that they would receive their capitation funds by Friday, a month after schools reopened. Learning institutions have been grappling with high commodity prices, with some principals calling for the closure of the schools.
While responding to concerns by MPs over the delay to release the funds, Mr Machogu urged principals to compare the prices in the market with those offered by the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC).
“Where schools cannot get the price at Sh4,500 per bag of maize or even beans, they should buy from KNTC,” said the CS.
