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.