MP furious as ministry delays release of capitation to schools

Gilgil MP Martha Wangari, Nyeri Women Rep Rahab Mukami and her Baringo counterpart Florence Jematiah during a public hearing session in Gilgil town on the 2024-25 proposed financial budget.  [Antony Gitonga,Standard]

Gilgil MP Martha Wangari is warning that gains made in the education sector could be eroded in months due to failure by the national government to release capitation funds to public schools.

Despite the Ministry getting the lion's share of the national budget, the delayed allocation to individual schools has crippled their operations for the last couple of months.

According to Wangari, school principals have faced challenges in getting the required funding allocated to learners on time, blaming the treasury officials for the delays.

Wangari warned the Ministry of Education against skewed allocations and disparity in the release of funding to schools, which has left schools unable to foot the bills to supply and sustain students in schools.

"There's a huge disparity in the release of capitation funding to schools of what was budgeted per learner by parliament and what the Ministry disburses to schools", said Wangari.

To avert the looming mayhem, Wangari called on the Education Cabinet Secretary to ensure the timely release of the budgeted caption funding to schools to cater to the learners’ needs.

Speaking in Gilgil, Wangari led the disbursement of Sh62.5 million National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) to support needy students in the Sub-County.

She said the allocations will cater for secondary school students to the tune of Sh31.32 million, tertiary, college, and TVETs at Sh29.4 million, and PWDs learners at Sh1.7 million.

At the same time, Wangari warned of increased abuse of drugs, bhang, and alcoholism, which has affected secondary schools, calling parents to be vigilant.

Wangari condemned the recent use of abusive language in the political arena between the President and former DP Rigathi Gachagua and opposition leaders, calling for political hygiene.

She said the use of GBV language and sexual insults against opponents is unhealthy, urging leaders to concentrate on the development agenda and policies that benefit the country.

According to Esther Njeri, a beneficiary of the CDF kitty, the funding for a full scholarship was critical in ensuring she completes her education.

Another beneficiary, Zacharia Mwangi, said the CDF funding supported her education after all the other alternatives for bursaries failed to materialise.

Mwangi, who scored an A- in last year's secondary exams, said he wants to pursue cardiology at the university and give back to society.

According to Samuel Mbugua, a beneficiary and father of triplets, he hailed the CDF bursary kitty for supporting the education of hundreds of students from needy and underprivileged backgrounds.