Why Education CS is under fire over under funding, corruption in Schools

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Julius Ogamba is under pressure to address the sector that is sinking into a crisis of corruption, underfunding, and betrayal of children’s rights.

A report by the Elimu Bora Working Group (EBWG) has laid bare systemic theft, negligence, and government complicity that have turned public education into a cash cow for a few while millions of children are locked out of classrooms.

And the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been accused of protecting head teachers who steal capitation funds, charge illegal fees, and operate schools without proper documentation.

The education lobby on Thursday said that despite overwhelming evidence of financial crimes and safety violations, the government has chosen silence, making it a direct accomplice.

 “This is not mere incompetence but a betrayal of Kenya’s children," said Chris Owalla, member of Elimu Bora.

And their findings are staggering. Nine in 10 public schools are charging illegal admission fees ranging from Sh500 to Sh25,000. Some schools push costs as high as Sh40,000 annually through hidden levies for remedial classes, lockers, and uniforms.

“The result is devastating—65 per cent of schools send children home when parents fail to pay, leaving 40 per cent of primary and 45 per cent of junior secondary learners at risk of dropping out. Only one in four ever makes it back to class," said Owalla.

He said that the theft extends to safety, with money meant for protective equipment and fire preparedness systematically pocketed.

The lobby said that the deadly Endarasha Hillside Academy fire that killed 21 children stands as a searing indictment of a system that values profit over lives.

Sexual harassment, unsafe transport, drug exposure, and crumbling infrastructure remain daily realities for millions of learners.

According to the report, the rot is fuelled by deliberate defunding by the government. Since 2003, the state has allocated only Sh1,420 per primary child and Sh15,042 per junior secondary student annually—figures unchanged despite inflation.

The group argues that this is a calculated move to push parents into bearing the burden, effectively privatising public education.

“This crisis extends to universities, where the government’s new funding model, ruled unconstitutional, has trapped students in unpayable loans and driven many out of higher education. Pre-primary education, meanwhile, is left to rot with no policy coordination, teacher training, or infrastructure," he said.

The lobby is now demanding binding circulars with strict enforcement against illegal fees, real-time audits of all school accounts, lifestyle audits of corrupt administrators, and anonymous channels for parents to report extortion.

“We want annual safety audits with full public disclosure, immediate upgrades of overcrowded schools, and urgent adjustment of capitation to reflect real costs," said Cornelius Oduor, another member of the lobby group.

They also demand that the Court of Appeal fast-track the case on the new funding model and that President Ruto disclose the true cost of curriculum reforms before further roll-out.

“The government has abandoned its duty. Kenya’s children are paying the price with their futures and, in some cases, with their lives,” Oduor warned, adding that history will judge the administration harshly if it continues to trade children’s rights for corruption and negligence.