Secondary school heads in Kenya are raising alarm over the government’s failure to disburse Sh18 billion in capitation funds for the first and second terms of 2024, warning that schools are grappling with severe financial strain as the term nears its end.
According to the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) National Chairperson Willie Kuria, schools have only received partial disbursements for both terms. Each learner is allocated Sh22,144 annually, disbursed in tranches 50 percent in Term 1, 30 percent in Term 2, and 20 percent in Term 3. However, schools received only Sh8,818 per student in Term 1 instead of Sh11,122, and just Sh3,471 in Term 2 instead of Sh6,673.
“These arrears Sh7.6 billion for Term 1 and Sh11 billion for Term 2 are crippling schools’ operations,” Kuria said. “Suppliers are demanding their dues, support staff remain unpaid, and basic services like water and electricity are being cut.”
The situation is worse for special needs schools, which have received Sh26,148 out of the expected Sh35,370. “These institutions need constant electricity to care for learners, and when it is disconnected due to unpaid bills, they are forced to send students home,” Kuria added.
Kuria, also the principal of Murang’a High School, emphasized that government underfunding has been persistent since 2022. Term 2 disbursements per learner have steadily dropped from Sh4,289 in 2022 to Sh3,471 in 2024 despite inflation and increased living costs.
KESSHA National Secretary General Abdinoor Haji noted that day schools are the hardest hit. “They solely rely on capitation, and with this financial shortfall, many have laid off Board of Management (BOM) teachers, leading to overcrowded classrooms and a decline in education quality,” he said.
Kuria urged the government to be transparent about its funding capability and consider reintroducing partial parental contributions. He also proposed reviewing the capitation formula every three years to adjust for inflation, noting that underfunding is undermining co-curricular activities and teacher capacity-building efforts.
The government reportedly also owes schools an additional Sh64 billion from previous years.
