Kenyan teachers are feeling the pinch of underfunding and understaffing in classrooms, as capitation delays, feeding programme cuts, and staffing shortages continue to plague the education sector. A report submitted by civil society organisations to the United Nations highlights these pressing concerns, warning that if the trend persists, the quality of education will deteriorate significantly.
While the government continues to implement Free Primary Education and Free Day Secondary Education, the disbursement of capitation remains insufficient. Although the education budget has increased from KSh 460.4 billion in FY 2018-19 to KSh 628.5 billion in FY 2022-23, most of the funds are directed toward recurrent expenditure rather than improving capitation per learner. The report notes that rising living costs have rendered the current capitation inadequate, forcing schools to impose illegal levies on parents to bridge the funding gap.
The untimely release of these funds exacerbates the issue, with schools struggling to meet the increasing demands of a growing student population. Additionally, the Ministry of Education’s failure to fully disburse the allocated capitation further strains school operations, making it difficult to provide essential learning resources.
Another major concern is the decline in funding for school feeding programmes, particularly in arid and semi-arid (ASAL) counties, where they are crucial for keeping children in school. The report warns that without urgent intervention, access to education in these regions will be significantly compromised.
The provision of sanitary towels for schoolgirls has also suffered from budget cuts, impacting girls’ attendance. Ministry of Education data indicates that girls miss approximately two weeks of learning per term due to menstrual-related challenges. The 2021/22 Auditor General’s report found that only 56.3% of the allocated budget for sanitary pad distribution was received, leading to a shortfall in the number of pads distributed per girl.
Staffing shortages further compound the crisis. In the 2022/23 financial year, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) recruited only 13,000 teachers against a target of 15,695. Overcrowding remains a significant challenge, with some schools experiencing teacher-student ratios as high as 1:70, far exceeding UNESCO’s recommended 1:25 ratio.
The findings come ahead of the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), where countries evaluate each other’s commitment to human rights, including access to quality education. Civil society groups urge the government to take immediate action to address these concerns and prevent further deterioration of Kenya’s education system.
