Budget crisis leaves six million learners without state funding
Education
By
David Njaaga
| May 14, 2026
Kenya's basic education budget for 2026/27 carries a Sh71.77 billion shortfall severe enough to leave more than six million learners without government capitation.
Principal Secretary Julius Bitok presented the figures to the Departmental Committee on Education on Wednesday, May 13, warning that approved allocations fall dramatically below what the department requires to meet its own targets.
The department's proposed annual expenditure for FY 2026/27 stands at Sh135.33 billion against a Budget Policy Statement (BPS) ceiling of Sh134.77 billion.
Within that envelope, however, the actual capitation allocations are a fraction of what is needed.
For free primary education, the department requires Sh15.67 billion to fund capitation for 6.39 million learners at Sh2,330 per learner. Only Sh7 billion has been allocated.
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The implication, the document states bluntly, is that 3.7 million primary school learners will receive no capitation at all, or every pupil will be funded at Sh1,096.71 per learner rather than the stipulated rate.
Junior secondary education faces an almost identical crisis. Against a requirement of Sh54.68 billion for 3.62 million learners, the department has been allocated Sh30.91 billion, leaving 1.58 million junior secondary learners potentially without capitation.
Free day secondary education is short by Sh23.79 billion. Of the Sh78.41 billion required for 3.47 million secondary school students, only Sh54.61 billion has been approved, meaning 1.05 million students may miss out.
The school feeding programme, which targets 2.8 million needy learners in arid, semi-arid and urban slum areas over 180 days, has been allocated only Sh3 billion against a requirement of Sh6.7 billion, a shortfall the department warned will make the government's own priority target unachievable.
A plan to build the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), intended to strengthen planning, financing and accountability across the education sector, received zero allocation against a requirement of Sh5 billion.
The department also carries Sh13.74 billion in pending bills as at March 31, 2026. Of that, Sh7.6 billion relates to printing, packaging and distribution of textbooks by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), while Sh4.75 billion is owed to the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
The department also disclosed outstanding court awards of Sh91.04 million, of which Sh74.55 million remains unpaid, and appealed to the committee for additional funding to settle them.
On budget absorption, the department recorded a 74 per cent uptake as at March 31, 2026, with recurrent expenditure at 76 per cent and development spending at 60 per cent.
The low development absorption was attributed to delays in meeting pre-commencement conditions set by the donor for the Secondary Education Equity and Quality Improvement Programme (SEEQIP).
"We therefore request for your consideration," said Bitok, appealing to the committee to intervene on the underfunded programmes.
The committee is reviewing the annual estimates as part of the National Assembly budget scrutiny process ahead of the FY 2026/27 financial year.