NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 15 – Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has attributed persistent delays in capitation and government funding to schools, TVET institutions and universities to inadequate budget allocations and delayed Exchequer releases by the National Treasury, dismissing claims that the Ministry of Education is withholding funds.

📻 Breaking It Down

Appearing before the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education (PIC-G&E), Ogamba said the ministry submits funding requests to the Treasury on time and disburses funds to institutions immediately after receiving them.

He argued that the real challenge lies in the widening gap between the education sector’s financial requirements and the resources allocated by the government.

“The Ministry does not sit on funds. The challenge is that the resources released by the National Treasury fall significantly below the actual requirements, and when Exchequer releases are delayed, institutions inevitably experience cash flow constraints,” Ogamba told MPs.

📌 What You Need to Know

The committee is reviewing Auditor-General reports covering the 2018/19 to 2024/25 financial years, with particular focus on delayed capitation to basic education institutions, teacher training colleges, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and public universities.

Ogamba appeared before the committee alongside Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala, TVET Principal Secretary Esther Thaara Muoria, Universities Fund Acting Chief Executive Edwin Wanyonyi and Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) Chief Executive Geoffrey Monari.

On TVET financing, the Cabinet Secretary said government capitation has remained at Sh5.2 billion annually despite a sharp rise in student enrolment.

The allocation covers learners under both the previous capitation system and the student-centred funding model introduced in the 2023/24 financial year, but Ogamba said funding has failed to keep pace with demand.

He revealed that actual disbursements have in several years fallen below approved allocations, leaving institutions with significant financing gaps.

The ministry has so far released Sh7.9 billion in scholarships under the student-centred funding model, benefiting nearly 200,000 TVET trainees.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya