School heads press Ruto on funding, promotions, and debts

President William Ruto meets with teachers' unions at State House, Nairobi. [PCS]

Primary and secondary school heads on Saturday, September 13, laid a raft of demands before President William Ruto at State House, urging the government to urgently address mounting financial and staffing challenges in schools.

Kenya Primary School Heads Association (KEPSHA) chairperson Fuad Ali called for an increase in Free Primary Education (FPE) funding, saying the current allocation was inadequate to meet rising costs.

The school heads want the capitation raised to Sh2,300 per child from the Sh1,420.

Ali also pushed for better terms for head teachers, requesting that their job groups be reviewed upward to at least Job Group D1, noting that many were stagnating at lower grades despite their heavy responsibilities.

Initially, the association had sought a responsibility allowance, but the heads now want a structured upgrade in the scheme of service.

KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu (centre) with other union officials during a meeting at State House, Nairobi, on September 11, 2025. [PCS]

School capitation

On their part, secondary school heads, led by Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) chair Willie Kuria, lamented that students were being sent home because schools lacked funds.

He said the current capitation formula, last reviewed in 2018, had been eroded by inflation and was no longer realistic.

Kuria noted that even the reduced allocation often does not reach schools in full, with deductions sometimes made to finance development projects.

He further warned that debts had crippled many institutions, with some dragged to court by creditors.

“Schools have been dragged to court, and we are asking if possible, the government can help offset these debts so that we can start on a clean slate,” he said.

The secondary school heads also made strong calls for better career progression for teachers.

They want the number of annual promotions raised from the current 25,000, and the waiting period between one interview and the next reduced from three years to two years.

Kuria described this as part of a “martial plan” to rescue teachers and restore their economic capacity.

Other demands included timely disbursement of funds, measures to curb wastage in small schools with fewer than 100 students, and fulfillment of President Ruto’s earlier pledge to provide a minimum essential package to all schools, regardless of enrolment, to support basic operations.