Why parents could be back to facing “illegal levies” when schools reopen next week
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State Department for Basic Education Principal Secretary, Julius Bitok, when he appeared before the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee chaired by Butere Mp Tindi Mwale at the Bunge Tower Nairobi on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
Basic Education PS Bitok says allocations sent to schools are well below what is stated in the policy.
The is a Sh7,000 per learner per term deficit against the required capitation.
Government to disburse a reduced capitation amount, highlighting a widening gap between approved funding and actual disbursements to schools.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has told MPs that the government’s public school capitation policy is not working as intended, despite rising expectations, in a veiled signal that parents should brace for “illegal levies” when schools reopen next week for the second term.
At the centre of the financing crisis is a Sh7,000 per learner per term deficit against the required capitation amount which the PS attributes to budgetary constraints that have undermined a policy that appears sound on paper.
