Sh16.9bn free education cash released to schools

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha addresses the Press after inspecting the Construction of a Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) Class at Bomu Secondary School in Mombasa on July 21, 2022.

Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • CS Magoha announced that Sh14.2 billion has been released to secondary schools, while Sh2.7 billion has been released to primary schools.
  • Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Jwan also warned schools against demanding extra levies.


Public primary and secondary schools have received Sh16.9 billion from the government as learners’ capitation for the 2022 second term, as headteachers were warned not to send home learners who have not paid fees.

Headteachers had protested the high cost of living was making it difficult to run schools, especially with delays in the disbursement of government funding.

Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha yesterday announced that Sh14.2 billion has been released to secondary schools, while Sh2.7 billion has been released to primary schools.

The money was sent to schools on Friday last week by the National Treasury and reflected in school accounts yesterday.

“We want to ask principals to stop sending children home for school fees because the government has already released funds to schools,” said Prof Magoha.

The CS said the ministry had received reports of massive removal of children from schools due to fee arrears, especially in Nyandarua County.

Prof Magoha directed the school chiefs to recall the students to school and ensure learning continues uninterrupted.

“Those children must go back to school immediately because the money we released should have hit school bank accounts by yesterday (Monday), let us be sensitive to parents and please not send children home because the month has not ended,” said Prof Magoha.

Extra levies

Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Jwan also warned schools against demanding extra levies.

The PS said schools must stick to the fee guidelines as published by the ministry.

Dr Jwan said the ministry had received reports of several schools across the country that are asking students to pay additional fees.

“Each day we receive a lot of complaints about learners who have been sent home because either they have not brought motivation fees or lunch fees,” said Dr Jwan.

The PS warned that Ministry of Education field officers would be liable for any school demanding extra levies and he directed them to give comprehensive reports on schools flouting the ministry guidelines.

Currently, the government is funding schools in four equal quarters under the free primary and free day secondary school funding.

Schools reopened for the second term on July 12 amid concerns of high prices of items by school heads, especially those in boarding secondary schools.

According to the heads, schools are insufficiently funded while parents are not honouring their mandate of paying school fees on time, making it difficult to run the institutions.

Most of the students also reported back to school with fees unpaid, causing institutions to order items on credit from their various suppliers.

Parents have since blamed the non-payment of fees on the crash academic calendar and the hard economic situation in the country.

The Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association(Kessha) chair Indimuli Kahi yesterday said secondary schools began receiving the funds in schools accounts on Monday evening.

“However, we are yet to receive the ministry’s circular indicating the vote head allocation for the funds, we request the ministry to send it soonest,” said Mr Kahi.

His Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association(Kepsha) counterpart Johnstone Nzioka also confirmed that primary schools have started receiving funds in their accounts.

Yesterday, Prof Magoha said principals have no reason to send home learners with fee balances.

“Do not send children home because the month has not even ended, you can engage their parents to ensure they clear their fees,” he said.

The CS was speaking at Hospital Hill School in Nairobi where he had gone to inspect the construction of Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) junior secondary classrooms.

Prof Magoha said the government will ensure the remaining classrooms are completed before the August 9 elections.

So far, the CS said more than 7,000 classrooms have been completed across the country. The government embarked on the construction of 3,500 additional classrooms this month.

The government is set to roll out junior secondary school in January.