Public schools across Kenya are closing early for the long December holiday after going three months without government funding. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has maintained that capitation funds will only be released once the ongoing audit of school enrolments is completed.
The audit, which aims to weed out ghost schools and inflated student figures, was launched after Auditor General Nancy Gathungu revealed that several non-existent institutions had received government capitation. Ogamba told MPs on Wednesday that the exercise will conclude next week, paving the way for verified schools to receive funds.
“To ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public resources, capitation will only be disbursed to verified schools,” Ogamba said.
However, school heads have raised alarm that the delay has crippled operations, disrupted feeding programmes, and hindered the purchase of essential learning materials. The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association warned that the funding gap could affect national examinations scheduled for later this month.
Nyeri MP Rahab Mukami criticized the timing of the audit, saying it disadvantages candidates preparing for their final exams. “Why have Form 4 students been sent home when they should be revising for their exams?” she asked.
Ogamba assured Parliament that the government has already released Sh10 billion to secondary schools, representing 96 percent of the expected allocation. Junior Secondary Schools have received Sh4.1 billion out of Sh5.7 billion (73 percent), while primary schools have so far received Sh821 million out of Sh1.7 billion (48 percent).
The audit, which has so far verified 39,752 institutions accounting for 9.4 million learners, follows revelations that over 50,000 ghost students were listed in school registers, costing taxpayers millions.
Ogamba insisted that the verification exercise will promote transparency and seal loopholes in the management of public education funds.
