Education

The legislators have now proposed reforms, including separating ECDE from primary schools, to ensure better planning, resource allocation and tailored programmes for young learners.

The placement body has invited Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) holders from the years 2000 to 2024 to apply.

They are separately charged with unlawfully failing to supervise children in a moving motor vehicle, a school van that was under their care.

Kuppet insists the existing Minet Teachers Medical Scheme, managed by MKL Minet under contract with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), is guaranteed by the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The updated framework now mandates Mathematics for all learners, while also introducing non-assessed subjects like Physical Education, ICT skills and religious instruction to support holistic development.

Applicants are required to log into the KUCCPS portal and select a public TTC of their choice to begin the application. The intake is scheduled for August, and the application process will remain open for the next two weeks.

The national event has been marred by reports of last-minute fundraisers, stranded learners and schools withdrawing from the festival due to a lack of support from the government.

CS Ogamba said the reduction, introduced under the student-centred funding model, is a deliberate approach to raise numbers and create sustainable funding streams for universities through economies of scale.

The teacher, identified as Hassan Osman Qassim, originally from Wajir County, has now spent over two months in detention in Laascaanood without any formal charges being made public.

Fuad explained that the proposed body would be tasked with setting professional benchmarks, licensing all qualified teachers, enforcing codes of conduct, and handling misconduct cases.

The waiver applies only to those who pay their full arrears at once through the HELB portal, mobile app, or USSD code *642#.

The move follows revelations that Sh1.3 billion from the school infrastructure fund had been diverted to non-existent institutions in what MPs described as a well-planned fraud by ministry officials.

The audit, covering four financial years from 2020/21 to 2023/24, shows that fake schools and ghost learners consumed billions in government funds, even as public schools struggled with a Sh117 billion funding gap.

At the top of KUPPET’s demands is the immediate release of the entire capitation for the 2025 academic year, well before the third and final term begins later this month.

Affected institutions including the (UF), Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA), and the Commission for University Education (CUE) say the reforms, despite being approved by the Cabinet in January, have been delayed, leaving agencies unable to function effectively.

He questioned the rationale behind the model, saying it had been introduced without adequate planning or consideration for students’ welfare.

Demonstrators who gathered on Friday, led by several alumni, including Vivian Amoit, demanded that the Gatoto Community Primary School be returned to the community.

I started recording our lessons and sending the videos for revision. Unexpectedly, other students began reaching out after watching my videos. That’s how my online Swahili classes were born - Abdulkarim Murunga.

The judgment followed a case filed by the school’s board and a parent, who accused the developer of pollution and trespass linked to its River Estate apartment project.

According to ministry sources, the moves are part of ongoing efforts to boost efficiency, address regional performance disparities, and strengthen education service delivery across counties.

During the session at Bunge Towers on Thursday, Kwanza MP Ferdinand Wanyonyi raised concerns over the treatment of trade debtors, pointing out that no provision was made for potentially uncollectable debts.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba said the move is aimed at ensuring that all eligible students receive financial support and that no one is locked out of learning due to lack of fees.

The Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education has raised concerns over Egerton University, Baringo Technical University, and Narok West Technical Training Institute, citing serious lapses in land oversight, weak internal controls, and poor leadership.

The MPs said the challenge of underfunded schools is longstanding, and that no administration in the last seven years has fully disbursed the official capitation amount.

Universities have been instructed to update their admissions and finance portals to reflect the changes before the beginning of the next academic year.

TSC’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Eveleen Mitei told the National Assembly Implementation Committee that the allowances are still being paid based on Legal Notice No. 534 of 1997.

Acting TSC CEO Eveleen Mitei explained that the list of designated hardship areas remains unchanged, as the mandate to review the classifications now lies with the PSC.

This follows complaints by legislators who said some teachers from urban centres were being posted to hardship areas and promoted to leadership roles, while qualified local teachers were overlooked.

The CS urged politicians and education stakeholders to engage constructively in public discourse surrounding education financing, warning that misinformation could lead to unnecessary public anxiety.

The audit for the year ending June 2024 indicates that the Council used these internally generated funds to complete parts of Towers A and B, which are now occupied by staff.

The system allows for gradual certification, enabling students to enter or return to the job market as they progress through their training.

The call follows reports that some public universities are charging up to Sh40,000 per semester for accommodation, a sharp rise from previous years.

His assurance comes amid public concern following recent remarks by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, who told Parliament that the government can no longer sustain full capitation for every learner due to rising enrolment and limited fiscal capacity.

Under current policy, students in day secondary schools should receive Sh22,000 per year, junior secondary students Sh15,000, and primary school pupils Sh1,400.

Appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee on Thursday, CS Mbadi said it was now his responsibility to ensure the recruitment goes ahead as directed by the president.

The changes, made under the authority of various sections of the Universities Act, are intended to reinforce governance, policy oversight, and institutional stability in the higher education sector.

The backlash follows Mbadi’s appearance before the National Assembly’s Education Committee, where he revealed that capitation for secondary school students had been reduced from Sh22,244 to Sh16,900 per learner.

His comments come just hours after Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi had announced that funding free education was no longer sustainable.

The Elimu Bora Working Group, through their Policy and Strategic Adviser Boaz Waruku, told the Eastleigh Voice on Friday that Mbadi’s revelation was unacceptable and should be rejected by all Kenyans.

Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s report attributes the flaws to poor coordination between government agencies and a failure to integrate the funding model with the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).

The shocking revelations were brought to light during a parliamentary committee session on Thursday, where Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba was put to task over the disbursement.

Justice Maureen Onyango found that the university acted in bad faith by issuing the letters while court-facilitated talks were still underway, and despite assurances that no such action would be taken before those talks concluded.

CS Mbadi attributed the underfunding to Kenya’s debt burden and constrained budget.

Ong’ondo defended the institute’s operations, saying all books delivered to schools aligned with the approved curriculum and that suggestions of “irrelevant” learning materials being supplied were misplaced.

The chaos erupted shortly after 9:30 pm when a group of students disrupted normal school activities, leading to the breach of the examination and evaluation room.

According to the TSC, the allowance ranges from Sh43 to Sh80 per kilometre, with teachers in the highest grade, D5, receiving the maximum rate.

He argued that the process does not align with the constitutional timelines provided under Article 229 and the requirements of the Public Audit Act. According to the Wajir governor, the decision to audit funds going back to 2021 raises concerns, especially since some of the current governors were not in office during that period.

UoN labelled the letter as fake and advised students to strictly follow instructions issued through the university’s verified Facebook page, official X (Twitter) account, or SMS.

In her audit report for the financial year ending June 2024, Gathungu disclosed that TSC had overpaid teachers Sh433.9 million, blaming the situation on manual reporting systems that resulted in inefficiencies.

This comes after teachers sued their employer for interdicting them when they fled their workstations following deadly Al-Shabaab attacks.