Relief for school heads as State releases Sh14 billion for capitation

School heads can breathe easy after the Ministry of Education announced the release of Sh14 billion for secondary school capitation.

The funds constitute the remaining 50 per cent of the capitation public schools receive for the first term.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang on Thursday told The Standard that the release ensures schools now have the full allocation for this term.

Kipsang stated that the funds will be used for school operations.

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Last week, school heads raised concerns over delays in the release of capitation funds.

Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) Chairman Willie Kuria said schools had yet to receive the funds.

“I have not seen the funds in my school account, and I have not heard reports from other heads indicating they have received any funds,” Kuria told The Standard on Friday.

However, PS Kipsang assured that schools would begin receiving the funds any time from Friday.

“The funds will hit school accounts any time because they were deposited from the Treasury on Thursday,” Kipsang told The Standard on the sidelines of the county-based education dialogue that concluded on Thursday.

Kuria, representing secondary school heads, also noted that the Sh14 billion still falls short of the full capitation amount expected for the first term.

While the government is supposed to release Sh11,000 per student for first-term capitation, Kuria said the total amount received per student so far is approximately Sh8,000, leaving a shortfall of Sh3,000.

In mid-February, some schools sent learners home early for midterm due to financial strain.

According to the Ministry of Education’s 2025 school calendar, schools were scheduled for a five-day midterm break between February 26 and March 2, 2025.

A spot check by The Standard in mid-February revealed that some schools had commenced their midterm break earlier than scheduled.

Parents also reported that various schools had instructed students not to return after midterm unless they cleared outstanding fees balances.

Headteachers interviewed by The Standard said the early mid-term break was necessitated by a severe cash crunch, stemming from the government’s failure to release the full capitation amount and delays in fee payments by parents.

Kuria painted a grim picture of the financial strain affecting schools.

“The actual amount received per learner is far below the stipulated capitation grant. As of now, schools receive Sh4,181 per student,” he said.

The disbursement has been welcomed by the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), which had threatened to shut down schools if the government failed to release the funds.

The union has also criticized the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) over the ongoing teacher promotion exercise, demanding that the process be carried out on a pro-rata basis.