Cash-Strapped Schools Enter Week Three Without Capitation Funds.
As the third week of the second term kicks off, public schools across the country are facing significant financial strain due to the government’s failure to disburse capitation funds. This has left institutions struggling to meet their operational expenses, despite earlier assurances from Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba that the funds would be available by the end of the second week.
Ogamba, speaking during the Inaugural Education Conference 2026 held at Lake Naivasha Resort, had pledged that schools would receive Sh21 billion in capitation. However, as the new week begins, the promised funds have yet to reach the institutions, leading to widespread disruption in school operations.
School principals are raising alarm over the ongoing crisis, citing unpaid salaries for non-teaching staff, interrupted co-curricular programs, and lack of preparation for upcoming exams. They warn that without immediate financial intervention, daily activities in schools, which largely depend on government support, could grind to a halt.
Fuad, a school head, explained that the delay in releasing funds has had an immediate impact on staff salaries, particularly for non-teaching personnel who rely entirely on these payments. He noted that these workers are now struggling to meet basic needs.
“If we keep them long without receiving the payment, it’s affecting their daily lives too, because they are also people with families, and they need to be supported,” he said.
Beyond salary delays, schools are also unable to pay for essential utilities such as electricity, leading to repeated disconnections. Fuad explained the broader implications of this, stating that power is critical for pumping water, operating internet services, and supporting daily academic activities.
“We use power to pump water, we use power for Wi-Fi, internet services, and then most of the things are done using power. So if power is disconnected, again, it’s a big challenge in our institutions,” he emphasized.
The financial crisis has also dealt a blow to co-curricular programs including sports, music, and ballgames. Fuad added that teacher training programs for junior school instructors are being jeopardized due to lack of transportation and logistical support.
“These teachers, whenever they are going for any of these trainings, they need to be supported in terms of transport and so forth,” Fuad stated.
Capitation Delays Affect Secondary School Learning Materials
At the secondary school level, the situation is just as severe. Willy Kuria, Chairman of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), confirmed that schools have yet to receive any funds for the current term. He lamented that even previous disbursements were incomplete, making it difficult for schools to plan and operate efficiently.
“Without a problem [capitation], we may not be able to pass the exams, we may not be able to buy textbooks, we may not be able to buy the typing paper, the duplicating papers, all the materials required for the exams,” he said.
Kuria pointed out that the absence of capitation funds is hitting day schools the hardest, as they are fully dependent on government support and do not charge additional fees like boarding schools.
The funding delay has caused some day secondary schools to miss out on co-curricular activities. Kuria emphasized the ripple effect this has on other institutions, especially boarding schools.
“When they don’t participate in co-curricular activities, it will affect the boarding schools as well, because the boarding schools cannot compete on their own,” he added.
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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education had previously attributed the delay to pending data uploads on the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS). However, Fuad indicated that the necessary data had since been submitted and therefore, the delay was no longer justified.
Silas Obuhatsa, Chairman of the National Parents Association (NPA), expressed concern that schools may soon begin sending students home to collect fee balances. He urged the government to intervene urgently by releasing the funds to ease the pressure.
“We just wish, as we had discussed with the ministry last week—and they promised the money would be released by the end of last week—that it is done. But to date, we have not received,” Fuad concluded.
Cash-Strapped Schools Enter Week Three Without Capitation Funds.
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