State releases Sh22bn capitation for schools ahead of teachers' strike

President William Ruto's administration has issued capitation funds for public institutions ahead of Monday's school reopening, to avert an impending crisis that threatens to paralyse the education sector.

Julius Ogamba, the new Education Cabinet Secretary, released the funds in response to trade unions representing teachers' plans to strike beginning Monday.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have all resolved to boycott classes when schools open due to differences over work-related complaints.

According to the statement issued by Ogamba on Friday, August 23, 2024, the government has released  Sh 21,879,307,912.48 as a capitation for students in all public basic education institutions.

The funds released are allocated as follows: Free Primary Education (Sh 1,623,828,995.40), Free Day Junior School Education (Sh 6,109,654,633.94), and Free Day Secondary Education (Sh 14,145,824,283.14).

"The release of capitation funds before the commencement of the new school term will facilitate the seamless resumption of school activities in the new term," stated Ogamba in the letter.

According to the cabinet secretary, the government is committed to fulfilling its commitment to learners under the Constitution, which provides that every child has the right to free and obligatory basic education.

"School principals and heads are directed to make careful use of the public resources entrusted to them for the benefit of students, and to refrain from imposing any unauthorised fees. As a Ministry, we will take firm action against any verified cases of resource misappropriation and the imposition of unauthorised levies," Ogamba warned.

Ogamba's distribution of the cash comes after he indicated that his Ministry is experiencing an acute funding shortage to meet all of the education sector's demands.

He has urged teachers' unions to engage in negotiation and call off the upcoming strike.

With only two days to the teachers' strike deadline, he has exacerbated the crisis by announcing that the government lacks the funding to completely implement phase 2 of the 2021-2025 CBA.

"The government is experiencing a difficult financial moment... we have no funds to address all the issues facing this docket," Ogamba said.

"We are calling for more dialogue and consultations with all stakeholders." His comments contradict those of TSC CEO Nancy Macharia, who announced on Wednesday that Sh 13 billion had been released for the implementation of Phase 2 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

"I beseech all teachers to report to school on Monday for the start of the third term now that the funds have been released for the implementation of phase 2 of the CBA and addressed all the issues," Macharia, the head of the TSC, wrote on Tuesday.