Kenya is not broke, but the glut of fraud takes all the resources

President William Ruto chairs a Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi, on April 29, 2025. [File, Standard]

They keep telling us that Kenya is broke. That there's no money for education. That we must be patient as the government "rationalises" spending. But every year, without fail, Parliament finds the money.

Capitation is approved. Billions are allocated. Budgets pass. State House cheers. Cabinet Secretaries beam for the cameras. MPs post updates boasting how much they've "secured" for schools in their constituencies. And yet, the crisis on the ground deepens. So why are head teachers borrowing money to buy chalk? Why are learners crammed under trees, in mud-walled structures, or in classrooms without desks, books, or blackboards? Why do thousands of students sit national exams in tents, their education interrupted by floods or collapsing roofs? Why, despite all these billions, is public education bleeding?