Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has been put on the spot by school principals over the continuous delay in the disbursement of funds to public schools. According to the school heads, the CS has kept changing his timelines, including the latest when he promised schools that the funds would be disbursed by Friday, June 2.
However, the heads lamented that they had not received the Ksh28 billion promised, adding that learning and other school operations had been greatly affected. Some principals added that they received the last disbursement of funds in January 2023.
“We only hear the news on the radio that the funds were meant to have reached the schools but we have not received any money,” one of the heads stated. School heads had been raising concerns about the disbursement of funds for a long time, noting that they were facing a crisis in meeting administrative needs.
“The amount of money that the government is releasing this week on Friday is Ksh28 billion,” Machogu stated while speaking on Tuesday, May 30. Speaking before the Senate Committee on Education on March 9, the CS noted that the delay was necessitated by ensuring all gaps were sealed to prevent the government from losing money.
According to Machogu, the funds were ready to be disbursed to the various public schools by the following week.
“We cannot just give out funds. We had to get the specific figure and ensure it was captured in Nemis because if we just give out the money, the government would have lost a lot.
“So we wanted to do it right which we have done. The schools will receive the money by next week including the various Junior Secondary Schools,” he stated.
The government issues Ksh1,420 for every student in primary school, Ksh15,040 for every student in Junior Secondary School and Ksh22,240 for each Senior Secondary School student.
The amount is distributed in various terms to purchase the necessary learning material and pay subordinate staff.
