Crisis looms as public schools reel in cash crunch

Many secondary schools are in a financial crisis due to the delay by the National Treasury to disburse money for free secondary education.

According to a number of school principals, thousands of workers and suppliers have not been paid as they wait for directive from the government.

The teachers said there were fears schools may lack basic supplies next term due to failure to pay the suppliers.

Data from the Ministry of Education indicate that the schools have only received 14 per cent of funds meant for second term. A headteacher from Kinangop, Nyandarua County, who declined to be named for fear of reprisal, said the ministry was aware of the situation.

He said they were looking forward to next week when schools would close as food stock had run out and they did not have any cash.

“The government is meant to release 50 per cent of the free day secondary education funds in first term and this has been done. In second term, we are supposed to get another 30 per cent but we have only received 14 per cent and this has affected service delivery,” said the teacher.

The sentiments were echoed by another principal from Gilgil who said almost all the support staff would have to go home without salaries.

He, at the same time, accused the government of failing to plan, adding that schools had been over supplied with textbooks.

He said they did not have storage capacity for the extra books, leading to a number of them being damaged.

“The government has failed to release the free day secondary funds but is instead dumping hundreds of textbooks yet we do not have space to safely keep them,” he said.

National Parents Association (NPA) Nakuru County Secretary General Eskimos Kobia said they had received complaints regarding the issues.

He blamed poor planning and lack of coordination between the ministries of Education and Finance for the financial crisis.

“Some day schools will next week be forced to close early due to the financial crisis and we are asking the concerned ministry to urgently intervene,” he said.

Kobia said the government could be losing millions of shillings in the supply of textbooks.

“The supply of the textbooks is uncontrolled and in some cases schools receive more books than the number of students they have,” he said.