Basic Education PS Julius Bitok receives eight classrooms and three ablution blocks at the Kwa Njenga Primary School in Nairobi from the US ambassador Marc Dillard on April 2, 2025. The Sh83.9 million project was done by the US Department of Defence. [Jenipher Wachie/Standard]
Kenya’s education sector is facing a crisis that calls for honesty and accountability from those in power. Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Mbadi recently sparked controversy when he made comments at a public gathering. The CS said, “The government is no longer able to sustain free education due to the huge national debt obligations the country is expected to face each year that have shrunken funds available for other functions, among them, school funding.”
His remarks, though quickly countered by President William Ruto’s reaffirmation of free, quality education for all, have exposed deeper, long-standing issues. While Dr Ruto emphasised that “education is the greatest gift a society can give its children,” Mr Mbadi’s comments may have been a Freudian slip. Still, they hint at systemic struggles within the education system. His statement is more than a political misstep – it reflects the consequences of years of inconsistent policies and financial mismanagement.
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Much of the strain in education funding has been linked to the hurried transition from the 8-4-4 education system to the current Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). Experts argue that the CBC was implemented without a thorough assessment of its financial implications. The result has been an overburdened system with growing funding demands.
Despite these challenges, the Ruto administration has taken notable steps to support the CBC. Over 23,000 classrooms have been constructed and 70,000 teachers hired, with 24,000 more expected by early next year. Agreements have also been reached with teachers’ unions, helping avoid the labour unrest that marked past regimes.
However, structural weaknesses persist. Since 2018, school funding disbursements – known as capitation – have been inconsistent. Such findings highlight entrenched inefficiencies and point to the need for urgent reform.
Despite the challenges, the education sector has received significant investment. The 2025/2026 national budget allocates 702.7 billion to education – the largest share at 16.6 per cent of the Sh4.239 trillion budget. Still, even this substantial funding remains inadequate to meet the system’s demands, particularly under the CBC framework.
This situation raises key questions. First, is the CBC too complex or expensive for Kenya’s current economic capabilities? If reverting to the 8-4-4 model isn’t feasible, perhaps the CBC should be restructured to balance educational objectives with financial sustainability.
Second, a full audit is needed to trace and eliminate capitation leakages. The emergence of ghost schools, teachers and students suggests organised corruption. Investigations should begin with the CBC’s rollout in 2018, when many previously established systems were dismantled.
Willie Kuria, chair of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association, appears to support such a move. On capitation, he is quoted in a media interview calling for “a return to the pre-2018 disbursement formula – 50 per cent of funds in Term One, 30 per cent in Term Two and 20 per cent in Term Three – suggesting it offered greater financial predictability and stability.
Ultimately, those in power must take responsibility. While the roots of current problems lie in the previous administration, the current leadership must acknowledge and address them. They owe the nation a mea culpa because governments are continuous entities, and today’s leaders cannot distance themselves from past mistakes. Kenya’s well-educated population is one of its greatest strengths, and allowing the education system to fail would be a national tragedy.
Mr Khafafa is a public policy analy.st
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By Leonard Khafafa