Thousands of schools across the country are struggling with delayed government funding after submitting incorrect enrolment data during the ongoing verification exercise.
According to the Ministry of Education, 3,485 primary schools and nearly 1,949 secondary schools failed to receive capitation after their submissions were flagged as erroneous. Issues ranged from wrong account details to incomplete templates, with some schools even leaving forms blank.
Education CS Julius Ogamba said that despite the challenges, the audit is nearly complete and will prevent wasteful spending in the future. He dismissed claims by some principals that the flagged learners were left out because they lacked birth certificates, explaining that verification tools did not require such documents.
So far, more than Sh16 billion of the Sh23 billion released by the Treasury has been disbursed. However, due to errors and inflated figures, schools have received only 68.55 percent of the required per-learner funding. This means each student has so far been allocated Sh15,385, instead of the Sh22,244 stipulated in government policy.
The delays have left many institutions unable to pay suppliers, purchase essential materials, or run day-to-day operations smoothly. Some principals have warned of disruptions if full funding is not released soon.
Despite the challenges, Ogamba insisted that the verification is crucial for long-term reforms. “This process will help us make better decisions in future and ensure every shilling benefits a real child in school,” he said.
Lawmakers have urged the ministry to expedite the process while holding accountable those responsible for submitting false information. Once the final report is published, schools with clean data will receive full capitation, while culpable officials face disciplinary or legal consequences.
