Low capitation? Inside Bitok, MP blame games

Basic Education PS Julius Bitok when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee at Bunge Towers, Nairobi, on April 22, 2026. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The Ministry of Education has admitted it was struggling to meet schools capitation needs.

Basic Education PS Julius Bitok said the government’s disbursement has decreased to Sh15,000 from Sh22,000 due to inadequate funding.

“As a ministry, we have always requested for the exact amount supposed to be disbursed to learners but after the budget is approved, we find that there are shortfalls and from where I sit, I am constrained…there are constraints within the ministry, within the department, and even in our schools, because we are not getting enough allocation from Parliament to meet all our requirements,” said Prof Bitok.

Appearing before the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, the PS was hard pressed to reassure that the free education programme was working.

He blamed MPs for not approving adequate budget allocation, While the committee accused him of not lobbying enough.

“How come we are able to increase the military budget to over ten times yet you still suffer underfunding? The Ministry of Agriculture is also able to lobby and get an increment in budget,” said Nabii Nabwera (Lugari).

The PS explained that the ministry had been increased the budget from about Sh490 billion in 2022 to more than Sh700 billion in 2025, but enrolment had also risen. 

“We have been increasing the capitation budget but the demand continues to be huge. So as far as what we expect the principals to do, despite these budget constraints, we have been encouraging them to keep to the budget. And if there is any school which requires additional money for some reason, they request and get approval through the county education board, and we have been approving requests from time to time through the county education board, whether they want to buy a bus, whether they want to do some additional infrastructure, that has been the procedure.” 

According to its utilisation guidelines, each learner in public secondary school is expected to receive Sh22,224 each year, while those in primary schools get Sh1,420. Special needs learners are entitled to Sh57,974 annually.

A Special Audit report covering the period between 2020/2021 and 2023/2024 showed that the capitation grant had suffered an underfunding of Sh76.9 billion.

MPs pushed Bitok to admit that parents had been forced to pay fees due to inadequate capitation. 

“PS, just make a policy statement saying that the country has moved from free primary education to a subsidised model where parents pay the shortfall,” stated Wilberforce Oundo (Funyula).

The House team promised to press the National Treasury.

“We cannot be allocating money to roads and not putting enough resources towards our children. We can not be starting new projects when the children continue to suffer. It is now upto us to allocate the funds by force,” said the chairperson, Tindi Mwale.

Appearing before the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee yesterday, Bitok was forced to change tune and admit that the government was struggling in the provision of free education.

This is after it emerged that capitation to schools was facing budget shortfalls. This was despite the PS earlier informing the committee that the free education model was still in place.

He had appeared before the MP Tindi Mwale-led committee to answer to queries arising from a special audit on capititation and infrastructure grants in schools.

In his presentation to the committee, the PS noted that the government was “doing everything possible” to fund free education in the country.

"Allow me to reaffirm that free education policy in Kenya is still in practice and is in place. Despite the teething problems that we are seeing in the financing gaps, I would say that a State Department, we are doing everything possible to ensure that we get enough resources to fund free primary, free secondary, and free junior education in Kenya,” said Bitok.

“How come we are able to increase the military budget to over ten times yet you still suffer underfunding? The Ministry of Agriculture is also able to lobby and get an increment in budget,” said Nabwera.

Adding, “Prior to any budget-making process, there is a sector meeting where every department has to convince the treasury on the money they require…PS at this rate, can we just bite the bullet and cut the cost to our size. Come with a proposal to parliament to amend the constitution to align with the times and say that we cannot afford 22,000 shillings per child.”

The lawmaker further called on the Mp Tindi Mwale-led committee to summon the National Treasury CS to appear before it to address the issue of the decreased funding to schools.

Aldai MP Maryanne Kitany pressed the PS asking him how he expected schools to continue operating in light of the budget shortfalls.

“The principals of these schools have budgeted knowing very well that they are going to receive these funds yet the money does not get to them. How do we expect these schools to continue operating with such deficits?” she posed.

Teso South MP Mary Emase urged the government to be candid with parents if, at all, it cannot afford the Sh22,000 capitation grant.

“We are living a lie. We are preaching water and drinking wine. Can we just say we can’t afford the Sh22,000,” Emase emphasized.

“It is time that we just came out and told Kenyans this is what the government can afford, so that in the planning of the ministry and strategy, it is just known this is what is available and parents are told what they have to pay,” she added.

But in a rejoinder, PS Bitok explained that the ministry had done a lot to curb the delayed disbursement of capitation further announcing that the Ministry had received Sh23.4 billion from the national Treasury. The funds, he said will hit school accounts latest tomorrow Friday.

He also appealed for help from the lawmakers to ensure that going forward, there was sufficient budgetary allocation towards the capitation grant.

“I want to plead with the committee to help us lobby Parliament so that we can get more resources. As a ministry, we usually do our part in asking for the exact amount required to support capitation but we usually get the short end of the stick,” remarked Bitok.