A section of Nairobi legislators has come out in strong support of Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi following his candid revelations about the government’s failure to fully fund the country’s free primary and secondary education programmes.
The lawmakers, including MPs Beatrice Elachi (Dagoretti North), Peter Orero (Kibra), Felix Odiwuor (Lang’ata), Anthony Oluoch (Mathare), and nominated senator Tabitha Mutinda, defended Mbadi’s honesty, saying transparency is key to fixing the broken capitation system. They spoke during a press conference at Parliament on Thursday.
“We are in a new era of transparency. While that honesty may feel uncomfortable, it is necessary to fix the system and restore public confidence in free education,” the MPs said.
Mbadi recently revealed that the government was disbursing Sh16,900 per secondary school student well below the Sh22,244 required capitation. The disclosure triggered public outcry and raised questions over the government’s commitment to free education.
However, the MPs noted that the shortfall predates the current administration, pointing out that for the past seven years, successive governments have consistently underfunded schools.
“Year after year, schools have received less than what was promised, and principals have carried the burden in silence,” they stated, adding that Parliament also shares responsibility for failing to allocate adequate resources.
The lawmakers urged the Treasury and Ministry of Education to present a supplementary budget to bridge the capitation gap and ensure every learner benefits equally.
Separately, Makadara MP George Aladwa, speaking alongside Nairobi MCAs, praised the ODM Central Committee’s decision to support the government’s broad-based partnership with President William Ruto’s UDA party. He urged party members to uphold discipline and respect party leadership decisions.
President Ruto recently reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to education, citing the recruitment of 76,000 teachers over the past two years, with plans to hire 24,000 more in January 2026. He also highlighted the signing of a long-term Collective Bargaining Agreement with teachers’ unions KNUT and KUPPET as part of ongoing reforms.
As the debate over education funding continues, Nairobi MPs have drawn a line supporting honesty, party unity, and a renewed push for better resourcing of Kenya’s education sector.
