Education stakeholders have accused the government of violating the Constitution by failing to fully fund basic education, arguing it is abandoning poor children.
Speaking during an interview on Spice FM on Monday, July 28, Boaz Waruku, policy advisor at the Elimu Bora Working Group, noted that Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi’s remarks in Parliament directly contradicted Article 53 of the Constitution, which guarantees free and compulsory basic education for every child.
“What CS Mbadi did in Parliament was wrong. He was speaking in direct contradiction to Article 53, which clearly states that every child has the right to free and compulsory basic education. How can a Cabinet Secretary stand in Parliament and renounce that?” Waruku asked.
Mbadi told MPs last week that the government had been unable to fund all learners under the Free Day Secondary Education programme for the last 20 years due to budget constraints. He explained that current allocations are Sh1,420 for primary, Sh15,042 for junior school and Sh22,244 for secondary school per child. These amounts fall below the actual cost of education.
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Stakeholders warned that the funding crisis, combined with rising levies passed on to parents, is eroding the gains made in education access over the past two decades.
“You’ll find even primary schools charging entry fees and many other costs, often in collusion with government agencies at the sub-county and county levels. The government should come out clearly and address this,” observed Maina Wa Gaithuru, National Parents Association secretary general for the Central Region.
Waruku also argued that Kenya’s education budget is heavily influenced by international financial institutions, leaving little room for locally driven priorities. He noted that the entire process is centralised at the Treasury and shaped by institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The budgeting process is centralised at the Treasury, directed by the World Bank and IMF, which is why Kenyans are not able to do their budget accordingly. Open up the budget process. The moment we extricate ourselves from that, I think we will be in accordance with Chapter 12 of our Constitution,” Waruku stated.
The criticism comes amid reports of a Sh64 billion shortfall in the government’s funding for free secondary education in the current financial year.
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Education stakeholders have accused the government of violating the Constitution by failing to fully fund basic education, arguing it is abandoning poor children.
Speaking during an interview on Spice FM on Monday, July 28, Boaz Waruku, policy advisor at the Elimu Bora Working Group, noted that Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi’s remarks in Parliament directly contradicted Article 53 of the Constitution, which guarantees free and compulsory basic education for every child.
“What CS Mbadi did in Parliament was wrong. He was speaking in direct contradiction to Article 53, which clearly states that every child has the right to free and compulsory basic education. How can a Cabinet Secretary stand in Parliament and renounce that?” Waruku asked.
Mbadi told MPs last week that the government had been unable to fund all learners under the Free Day Secondary Education programme for the last 20 years due to budget constraints. He explained that current allocations are Sh1,420 for primary, Sh15,042 for junior school and Sh22,244 for secondary school per child. These amounts fall below the actual cost of education.
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Stakeholders warned that the funding crisis, combined with rising levies passed on to parents, is eroding the gains made in education access over the past two decades.
“You’ll find even primary schools charging entry fees and many other costs, often in collusion with government agencies at the sub-county and county levels. The government should come out clearly and address this,” observed Maina Wa Gaithuru, National Parents Association secretary general for the Central Region.
Waruku also argued that Kenya’s education budget is heavily influenced by international financial institutions, leaving little room for locally driven priorities. He noted that the entire process is centralised at the Treasury and shaped by institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The budgeting process is centralised at the Treasury, directed by the World Bank and IMF, which is why Kenyans are not able to do their budget accordingly. Open up the budget process. The moment we extricate ourselves from that, I think we will be in accordance with Chapter 12 of our Constitution,” Waruku stated.
The criticism comes amid reports of a Sh64 billion shortfall in the government’s funding for free secondary education in the current financial year.
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By Daren Kosgei