Nairobi — Opposition leader Raila Odinga has urged the government to release all monies owed to schools as well as capitation at the approved rate of Sh22, 244 per child for the financial year 2023/2024.
Odinga claimed that there is a big disconnect between what the government says and what is actually implemented, faulting remarks made by President Wiliam Ruto in his new year message to Kenyans stating that his administration had increased allocations to the education sector and enhanced learners' capitation in Primary and secondary schools.
"In his New Year address, Hon. William Ruto openly lied to parents, teachers and the children of Kenya that his administration had increased allocations to the education sector and enhanced capitation for all learners. Well, on Monday, learning will resume in primary and secondary schools to a very different reality," Odinga said.
He stated that the Kenya Kwanza administration has failed to enhance funding for free education.
"So, which funding did the Kenya Kwanza government increase? If funding has been increased, why is the Medical (NHIF Eduafya) program running into trouble? Is the regime funding corruption or learners? Is Kenya Kwanza funding real or ghost learners and schools? he questioned.
According to him, the government subsidy for Free Day Secondary Education fell way below requirement in 2022/2023 Financial year noting that government's own data indicate that the country had a total of 3,690,376 learners who required sh. 82, 088,723,744 in funding. But the government approved only sh. 64,421,865,698.
Of this approved amount, only sh. 64,421,850,160.01 was actually disbursed to schools, leaving a deficit of sh17, 666,873,584 leaving 794,231 students without any form of funding.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"In the Financial Year 2022/2023, the Ruto administration disbursed only sh.17, 339.00 instead of sh. 22,244 per child. Ruto owes each child on this programme some sh.4, 905.00. The total money owed to schools from the Financial Year 2022/2023 is sh.18,101,294,80," he said.
He revealed that in the 2023/2024 Financial Year, the government disbursed only sh3, 327.87 per child instead of sh.22, 244, a mere 14 per cent of the required amount.
"He owes each child some sh.18, 916, 13 or 85 percent of what is needed. Ruto owes secondary schools a total of sh. 69,807,632,165. It is not even clear whether the paltry 14 per cent said to have been disbursed has actually been discharged," he said.
Odinga emphasized government failure to release full capitation to all schools is affecting learning differently across the country therefore eroding fair and equitable access to education.
"This funding shortage for public schools is not inevitable. It's the direct result of corruption and deliberate and harmful political choices. It is also a deliberate continuation of a policy of suppressing regions seen to have no shares in Kenya Kwanza. It is discrimination and marginalization by another means and name. It must be resisted and the government forced to deliver money to schools," he noted.
