Nyoro's Sh500 school fees plan, free lunch trigger storm in Parliament

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro’s move reducing day secondary school fees to Sh500 and several motivation strategies, has elicited mixed reactions on whether the National Government-Constituency Funds can fully fund his programme.

Nyoro’s funding model for 65 day secondary schools targeting 12,000 students has attracted the wrath of his colleagues who have dismissed him, claiming he was either using monies that ought to pay teachers, or unexplained sources.

On Wednesday, the MP explained how he utilises the NG-CDF kitty and contributions from well wishers and donors to support schools. He explained that, for instance, the allocation of Kiharu NG-CDF for the financial year 2024-2025 was Sh188,414,052.

With the legal provision that 40 per cent of the allocation should go towards bursary, Nyoro said this amounts to Sh75 million. And with the 12,000 students contributing Sh500 each, this amounts to Sh6 million. This brings the total to Sh81 million, which he says, goes to the school feeding programme.

“The beauty of this programme is that when food is bought in bulk, it reduces its cost drastically, for example if a commodity costs Sh8,000 it falls by Sh3,000. Buying food in bulk has assisted us realise this programme,” he said.

Nyoro explained that before reducing the school fee to Sh500, parents used to pay Sh1,500 per term which translated to Sh18 million per term.

He said when his friends, well wishers and donors chipped in and donated some stuff, he opted to further reduce parents’ burden. This contribution from well wishers and donors save some Sh60 million that could buy food.

Cumulatively, Nyoro noted, making the basic education free only required Sh10 billion which he explained can be got from the NG-CDF kitty, county government’s kitty and the national government kitty.

His major inducement for free education include free lunch from Monday to Saturday.

This includes uji (poridge) for tea break and chapatis for every Friday, provision of Sh10 million for revision materials, provision of additional Sh50 million for additional infrastructure, with a bias on laboratories, provision of free uniform for students joining grade 10 in the 20 identified schools with low enrollment.

“All the 65 day schools will be provided with an extra Sh50,000 to supplement the activity kitty since capitation is not enough. The fund is meant for music festivals, games, and co-curricular activities. There will be an additional Sh900,000 for prize-giving celebrations to reward the best performers without having parents pay for it,” Nyoro announced on Tuesday.

At the same time, the best improved teacher per subject in each of the sub-counties will get a paid-up trip to Mombasa. Principals from the best and best-improved schools per ward have a fully paid-up trip to Dubai. Of the 6 wards, twelve Principals will travel. Those who have travelled to Dubai before may choose to travel to Malaysia.

“Schools with remedial arrangements capped at Sh1,000 per Term. Premiums and general service of buses owned by Day Secondary Schools to be paid for by the programme,” he said.

But fellow MPs are up in arms over Nyoro’s day school funding formula including Leaders of Majority and Minority in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wa and Junet Mohammed.

They claim Nyoro directed funds meant for other constituencies when he chaired the budget committee and that what he is doing can only be done by a leader with unfettered access to huge funds.

Ichung’wa accused him of hypocrisy and double stands and claimed that he diverted budgetary allocation meant for other areas.

“There were claims of unfair distribution of budget allocation where some MPs were allocated money for water pans and boreholes to buy political allegiance. In those offices situated at the KICC some parastatal heads lined with bags of money as some of the government agencies were denied their allocation to create slash funds that were used for political activities,” he said.

Junet said no MP could afford to use his NG-CDF fund to build classrooms, plaster them, put windows and roofs and tile the compound.

“Which MP can do that with meagre CDF allocations and then advertise on TV prime time news. Which member can do that? None of the 349 MPs can afford. That can only be done by somebody who has access to bigger resources,” he said.

Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot claimed Nyoro was using money meant for teachers’ pay to cover school fees describing his funding model as the best description of inequities in the country

But Mukurwe-ini MP John Kaguchia hailed the programme saying although it was difficult to implement, it can be done by a leader strictly accountable and transparent since it entails a labour based strategy as opposed to using contractors.

“It is not an easy programme because implementing it would mean you won’t get even a coin because it is usually labour based, money is usually ‘eaten’ when contractors are involved. If you hear any leader involved in such a programme he has decided not to touch a shilling from the public coffers,” the MP said.

Nyoro however maintained that he achieved the program due to prudent management of public resources maintaining that the program will be funded using 40 per cent of the bursary allocation as stipulated by the NG-CDF Act and the additional contributions by the parents.

“The suppliers who deliver bulky supplies of food to the schools sell it at a lower cost because they are paid by the specific schools instantly and do not have to wait for close to five months. Other well-wishers who have chipped and donated sugar and wheat flour have seen us save close to Sh60 million over the past years, we are using this money to subsidize school fees,” Nyoro said.

He maintained it was practical to introduce free basic day secondary school education using his model.

He said the programme would only require Sh30 billion. He proposed that the NG-CDF, the county governments and the National government should each contribute Sh30 billion to introduce the kitty to make the free day secondary school free.

“The Sh30 billion is enough to make basic secondary school totally free. We must not make basic education a campaign tool any more, we have the capacity to make it free in the next term,” he maintained.

Prof Gitile Naituli said the school fees and lunch program was not radical but rational saying the model appeared unbelievable since Kenyans had normalized mediocrity.

“We have lived so long under leaders who cannot account for a shilling that a leader who can account for millions seems suspicious. We have grown accustomed to MPs who use NG-CDF as a personal slush fund, building half-finished classrooms, awarding inflated tenders to friends, scattering bursaries as political bribes, so that the idea of a coherent, constituency-wide social programme feels alien,’ he said.