Turkana leaders say 80 per cent of children out of school

Turkana North MP Sharif Ekuwam Nabuin [File, Standard]

Despite a national directive requiring all learners to report to school regardless of fees or uniforms, local leaders in Turkana say only 20 per cent of children have resumed learning, exposing deep inequalities and fuelling opposition to proposals to cut NG-CDF bursaries seen as a lifeline for marginalised regions.

A stark education crisis has emerged in Turkana after local leaders revealed that only about 20 per cent of school-going children in the county have reported back to school, directly contradicting national claims of high learner turnout following the government’s directive on Grade 10 admissions.

The revelation, made during the launch of the NG-CDF bursary programme at Kataboi Girls Senior Secondary School, has reignited debate over whether national education policies are detached from realities in marginalised regions.

While the national government maintains that learner reporting remains above 90 per cent countrywide, Turkana leaders say the situation on the ground tells a different story, one defined by hunger, poverty, lack of basic boarding requirements and long distances to schools.

The figures cast doubt on the effectiveness of blanket national directives requiring learners to report to school regardless of fees or uniforms, with parents in Turkana saying such orders fail to address structural barriers that continue to lock children out of classrooms.

“Children are being ordered to report to school, but they are hungry, they have no bedding, no uniforms and no money,” said Penina Akiru from Lomekwi. “Directives do not solve poverty.”

Education stakeholders warned that without immediate and targeted intervention, Turkana risks normalising mass school absenteeism, further widening inequality between marginalised regions and the rest of the country.

Against this backdrop, Turkana North MP  Sharif Ekuwam Nabuin launched the NG-CDF bursary programme, positioning constituency-based support as the last line of defence for learners from poor households.

During the event, learners received boxes and mattresses, while schools were issued with cheques to support vulnerable students. The MP also presented a KSh 60 million bursary allocation for Turkana North learners,

 underscoring the role of constituency-based funding in keeping children in school.

“Bursary programmes administered through MPs remain a critical lifeline for learners in marginalised and arid regions, where household poverty levels continue to affect school retention rates,” Nabuin said.

The MP openly criticised proposals to cut or scrap NG-CDF, warning that such moves would effectively shut the school gates for thousands of children in arid and semi-arid areas.

“Education remains the most sustainable equaliser, and no child should miss school because of poverty,” he said, adding that bursaries must complement national efforts to strengthen public education.

Loima MP Dr. Protus Akuja welcomed targeted scholarship interventions, thanking the Elimu Foundation scholarship for lowering Grade 10 admission points for learners from arid and semi-arid counties like Turkana.

“The decision to lower points for ASAL counties like Turkana from 45 to 36 is a game changer,” Dr. Akuja said. “It recognises historical disadvantage and gives our bright children a fair chance to compete nationally. This is the kind of affirmative action that changes lives.”

The Elimu Foundation scholarship runs a national programme targeting high-performing students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a special focus on learners from ASAL regions.

The Turkana North Sub-county TAC Director said the county had performed strongly in the JKF scholarship interviews.

“We conducted the JKF interview and Kataboi Girls managed to secure 200 slots of the JKF scholarship. In Kibish, there were 33 slots — 17 for girls and 16 for boys, and all were qualified. Across the county, 550 slots were given, but Turkana North was particularly lucky. Lokitaung received 120 slots while Kibish got 33,” the director said.

Lapur Ward MCA Michael Ewoi painted a grim picture of what schools in the region would look like without CDF support.

“Without CDF bursaries and support, most of our schools would be empty. Children would remain at home, many would drop out completely, and the few who attend would struggle without food, bedding or learning materials,” Ewoi said. “The gap between Turkana and the rest of the country would only widen.”

He also hit out at the county government, questioning inconsistencies in the disbursement of county bursaries.

“The county bursary has always been disbursed twice a year and budgeted for in the supplementary budget. Why was it issued only once last year?” asked Hon. Mike Ewoi, warning that irregular funding was silently forcing children out of school.

MCAs from different wards who attended the event echoed similar concerns, warning that centralised education funding models risk ignoring local contexts and shifting the burden of schooling back to families already struggling to survive.

They cautioned that removing NG-CDF without a clear alternative would accelerate school dropouts, child labour and early marriages trends already evident in parts of the county.

The Turkana figures have exposed sharp regional disparities in Kenya’s education system, raising questions about the credibility of national reporting that suggests near-universal school attendance.

Education officers at the event said the crisis is not about defiance, but deprivation.

“A hungry child cannot sit in class,” said one official. “Until that is addressed, attendance statistics mean nothing.”

For Turkana, the debate over education funding is no longer theoretical. It is visible in empty dormitories, half-filled classrooms and children roaming villages weeks into the school term.

Local leaders warn that unless education financing debates move beyond Nairobi boardrooms and reflect conditions in arid regions, national directives will continue to fail the very children they are meant to protect.

As policymakers push for reforms, Turkana’s reality presents a blunt warning: without targeted support, poverty will continue to override policy, and access to education will remain a privilege rather than a right.

For now, constituency-level interventions remain the thin line keeping thousands of Turkana children in school, and without them, leaders fear the education crisis could deepen into a generational setback.