Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba is set to appear before the National Assembly’s Education Committee today at 11:00 am to present the status of Budget implementation for the 2024/2025 financial year. The session is expected to address the critical challenges facing the education sector, particularly in light of an acute funding shortfall that has left thousands of students without Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) support.
Ogamba’s appearance comes amid mounting pressure to explain strategic policy interventions to stabilise the sector. During a prior session on Tuesday, HELB CEO Geoffrey Monari revealed that of the 713,173 students who applied for financial aid, only 322,338 received funding totalling Sh26.1 billion. This left 103,214 eligible university students without support due to an Sh11.5 billion deficit. TVET institutions have also suffered a shortfall, with 60,274 trainees missing out on loans, compounding a gap of Sh2.2 billion.
Meanwhile, national conversations on security and governance continue with the resumption of the Jukwaa la Usalama initiative in Turkana. Spearheaded by Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, the town hall forums aim to gather community feedback on pressing security and development issues, fostering transparency and citizen engagement.
At the same time, the Kenya Devolution Civil Society Working Steering Committee is calling for increased accountability in the ongoing transfer of functions from national to county governments. The move, ordered by President William Ruto in December 2024, seeks to complete the devolution process and ease tensions over budget control and service delivery between the two levels of government.
Nairobi is also hosting the Smart Government Summit at Hyatt Regency in Westlands, where top tech leaders and policymakers are exploring digital solutions for efficient governance. With Africa’s digital landscape rapidly evolving, the summit focuses on integrating emerging technologies to streamline public services.
In a related event, a Disability Sector Consultation Forum is underway at the Jacaranda Hotel to review the Draft Public Benefits Organisations (PBO) Regulations 2025. Organised by the PBO Regulatory Authority and Christian Blind Mission, the forum emphasises inclusion and enhanced compliance, including mandatory annual returns and audits by PBOs by March 31 each year.
