Education

Machogu announces June disbursement of second term capitation for schools

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu during the launch of the National Education Sector Strategic Plan 2023-2027 at Kenya School of Government, Lower Kabete on June 7, 2024. Photo: X/eduminKenya

By Maureen Kinyanjui | Friday, June 7, 2024

The money is distributed to schools in three quarters each year, with the first term receiving 50 per cent the second term 30 per cent, and the third term 20 per cent.

Schools should expect a 30 per cent capitation for the second term this month.

"We are at an advanced stage of ensuring that second term capitation will be released this month. No school will close, because 50 per cent capitation was given to both primary and secondary schools," Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said.

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The CS said schools received capitation in two batches in the first term, making up 50 per cent of the total capitation expected.

The ministry will be able to give the remaining 20 per cent in the third term.

Machogu spoke on Thursday when he presided over the launch of the fourth National Education Sector Strategic Plan 2023-27.

The government allocates Sh22,244 per learner annually, under the free day secondary school programme.

The money is distributed to schools in three quarters each year, with the first term receiving 50 per cent the second term 30 per cent, and the third term 20 per cent.

However, there has been some delay in the capitation to reach schools.

In March 2024, State Department for Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang stated that the government will next week release Sh16.25 billion to go towards Free Secondary Education capitation.

The PS said the amount is equivalent to 25 per cent of the outstanding capitation owed to public secondary schools nationwide.

While appearing before the National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee, the PS pointed out that the government has already disbursed 25 per cent of the total capitation amount.

The government allocated Sh65 billion for Free Secondary Education capitation in the current financial year.

The PS noted that while the allocation is Sh65 billion, the capitation per student would be Sh17,000 as the amount has been revised downwards from Sh22,224 to cater for all students.

Towards the end of January 2024, Kipsang stated that the amount was cut due to an increase in the learner population of up to one million, even though the initial budget of Sh65 billion remained the same.

The PS decried that the amount set as capitation for Free Secondary School learners has never been increased despite a palpable population increase of learners in schools.

The amount allocated for Free Secondary Education capitation has been a blocked figure of around Sh65 billion.

"We need to increase the blocked figure of around Sh65 billion because when it was capped at Sh65 billion, our secondary school student population was 3.2 million but as of January 2024, we have 4.2 million students in our secondary school. But the amount that's continued to be given is around between Sh64 billion and Sh65 billion," he said.

It is this increase in population that Kipsang said caused the ministry to slash capitation per learner from Sh22,224 to Sh17,000.

"We can only divide that amount by the number of learners that we have today in our secondary schools standing at 4.2 million so that we can take care of kids in an appropriate amount," the PS said.

"If we were to give Sh22,224 per student, then we would only fund 3.2 million children, meaning that you will not be funding 1 million students in our schools today."