As students resume classes after mid-term break, the reality of Kenya’s public school funding crisis is hitting hard.

Schools are drowning in debt due to severe financial shortfalls, parents are struggling to meet additional levies, and learners are bearing the brunt of an education system on the verge of collapse.

While each secondary school student is entitled to receive Sh11,122 for the first term under the government’s capitation programme, the Ministry of Education has only disbursed Sh4,040, leaving a funding gap of Sh7,000.

This deficit has left many headteachers in a difficult position. According to Willy Kuria, the Chairman of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA), the government’s inconsistent disbursement has led schools into significant debt.

The delay in releasing these funds has forced schools to turn to parents, demanding that they pay fee arrears to keep the institutions afloat.

“A gentle reminder that the school will reopen on Monday, March 3. The minimum entry fee is zero balance of the term’s total fees. Note that maize and beans are not recognized as currency,” reads a message to parents from one school.

Other schools are imposing additional charges on parents to bridge the funding gap. Anthony Maina, a parent with a student in Murang’a, said the school is demanding Sh1,000 contribution to the Parent-Teacher Association.

“We received a text message on Saturday informing us of an extra levy to be paid on reporting day,” he said.

For Jackeline Anyango, a parent with a daughter in Nakuru, the school has imposed a mandatory Sh3,500 fee for remedial lessons and exam papers.

Two weeks ago, while visiting Kereri Girls High School, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba stated that the government was working to release the remaining capitation balance for the first term.

“Of the 50 per cent that was meant to be disbursed this term for secondary schools, we have released 25 per cent. Another Sh15 billion is pending and will be released next week,” Ogamba said.

However, these reassurances have done little to ease the financial struggles schools continue to face.

“Some schools have had their electricity and water supply disconnected due to large bills. We have debts with suppliers, and they keep rising,” said Kuria.

Despite a directive from the Ministry of Education prohibiting schools from sending students home over unpaid fees, some institutions have no choice.

“My son reported on Monday, only to be sent back home for a balance of Sh3,000,” said a frustrated parent.

National Parents Association Chairman Silas Obuhatsa urged the Ministry of Education to ensure that students remain in school. “When a student travels to school and is sent back home, it puts their safety at risk,” he said.

In January, the situation became starkly clear when students from St Anne’s Girls Secondary School in Nairobi were locked out due to fee arrears.

This situation has also affected extracurricular activities. According to Kuria, annual school games may not take place this year.

“If we have no money, co-curricular activities will be the first to be cut,” he warned.

MPs have also raised concerns about the opaque nature of school capitation funds.

“Are you aware that principals are being forced to write receipts for money they haven’t received and forward them to the ministry?” posed Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba.

Moses Nthurima, Deputy Secretary-General of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), blamed the government for the sector’s challenges.

“The free day secondary school capitation figure was introduced in 2017, yet the cost of living has skyrocketed. What we expected was an increase, not a reduction,” said Nthurima.

School heads are now considering raising school fees to ensure the continuity of operations.

In a proposal to the Ministry of Education, principals have suggested an increase of Sh19,628 for national schools, Sh27,488 for extra-county schools, and Sh5,372 annually for day schools, in addition to the Sh9,000 for meals.

“Unless this situation is addressed urgently, secondary schools in Kenya are on the brink of imminent closure, which will negatively impact the future of countless students,” warned Kuria.