Education Budget Cuts Raise Alarm as Gaps Threaten Learners' WelfareStatement by Elimu Bora Working Group.

  David Karani, member of Elimu Bora                  Working Group.

    Nairobi Kenya 

The Elimu Bora Working Group has raised serious concerns over significant budget cuts and critical omissions in Kenya’s proposed education sector funding for the Financial Year 2025/2026. In a detailed memorandum submitted to the National Assembly’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, the group warned that the current estimates could severely undermine access to quality and inclusive education for millions of learners across the country.

According to the memorandum, over 1.2 million primary school learners have been excluded from the Free Primary Education (FPE) Programme. While the Government’s 2025 Economic Survey places the number of learners in primary schools at 8.2 million, the budget only targets 6.97 million learners, creating a large funding gap. Additionally, the proposed budget for primary education has been slashed from Kshs. 26.5 billion in FY2024/2025 to Kshs. 22.19 billion in FY2025/2026, with a projected further drop to Kshs. 13.67 billion in FY2026/2027. The budget estimates do not provide any explanation for these reductions.

The School Feeding Programme, which is vital in promoting retention and participation in learning, has also seen its allocation reduced from Kshs. 3.6 billion to Kshs. 3 billion, despite an increase in the number of targeted beneficiaries from 2.6 million to 2.8 million learners. According to Elimu Bora, this funding would only provide meals for about 26 school days out of the expected 180 days per year, far below the required nutritional support. The group also noted inconsistencies between the figures in the main and supplementary budgets, further casting doubt on transparency and commitment.

While 25% of rural schools are estimated to lack clean and safe water, the FY2025/2026 budget has failed to allocate any resources to improve water access, despite the Ministry of Education being mandated by the WASH in Schools Strategy 2024–2029 to address this gap. This failure, Elimu Bora notes, is especially alarming given that safe water and sanitation are crucial for learner health and school attendance.

On special needs education, although the budget allocation has increased slightly to Kshs. 979 million, it lacks clarity on which categories of disabilities will be supported, and by what means. Learners with diverse needs such as hearing, visual, physical and intellectual disabilities, as well as autism and cerebral palsy, have been left without specific targets or resource commitments.

The group also highlighted serious gaps in planning for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) rollout. While Junior Secondary Schools (Grades 7–9) are already operational and Senior Schools (Grades 10–12) are expected to commence in January 2026, the budget fails to differentiate allocations for these levels. The Kshs. 89.4 billion allocation for Free Day Secondary Education lumps all levels together without clear breakdowns. Moreover, no funding has been allocated to build or equip science laboratories for Junior Schools, a critical infrastructure requirement under CBC. Elimu Bora recommends an allocation of Kshs. 2 million for each of the 22,000 Junior Schools, totaling Kshs. 44 billion, to address this deficit.

In addition, learners in secondary schools with special needs have not been adequately catered for, with a reduction in the special needs budget from Kshs. 200 million to Kshs. 180 million. No budget details have been provided for special needs in Junior or upcoming Senior Schools either.

The memorandum also drew attention to budget transparency and equity issues in teacher recruitment. Despite a court ruling outlawing the recruitment of intern teachers, the 2025/2026 budget allocates resources for hiring 18,000 intern teachers without specifying how many will be deployed to primary, junior, or senior schools. The Teachers Service Commission’s budget for primary education teacher management has been reduced from Kshs. 209.1 billion to Kshs. 202.8 billion, while that for secondary has been increased to Kshs. 172.6 billion, but again without clear targets or rationale.

For Primary Teacher Training Colleges, the group noted a complete lack of enrollment targets or budget clarity. Unlike their counterparts training to teach in secondary schools, students in these colleges are not eligible for HELB loans or other government financial support, leaving many unable to complete their training. Elimu Bora recommends that enrollment targets be clearly outlined and that these students be included among HELB loan and grant beneficiaries.

In the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sub-sector, the group pointed to an unstable and unsustainable funding model. While Kshs. 4.3 billion has been allocated to Technical Training Institutes, Kshs. 4.2 billion of this is sourced from Appropriations-in-Aid (AIA), raising concerns that increased student fees will be used to cover the gap. Funding projections for TVET institutions also fluctuate significantly, dropping to Kshs. 2.7 billion in FY2026/27 and rising again to Kshs. 5.5 billion in FY2027/28, an erratic trend that threatens service delivery and learning continuity. Furthermore, the budget lacks any capitation targets per student, making accountability and planning difficult.

While the budget for university education has seen a 6% increase from Kshs. 136.18 billion to Kshs. 141.64 billion, Elimu Bora stressed the need for Parliament to demand greater transparency on how the funds will be used. This includes clarity on university infrastructure improvements, settling pending bills, and meeting staff collective bargaining agreements.

In conclusion, the Elimu Bora Working Group urged Parliament to revise the education budget to reflect real learner needs, uphold equity, and align with the country’s constitutional obligations. “This budget in its current form overlooks the most vulnerable learners and fails to reflect the real needs of Kenya’s evolving education system. Parliament must step in to realign the allocations to our national priorities and constitutional obligations,” the group stated.

With Parliament set to deliberate the estimates in the coming weeks, all eyes are now on legislators to act in the best interest of Kenya’s children and youth.