The Democratic Congress Party (DCP) has put the government on notice, warning that it will rally students across the country to the streets if school capitation funds aren’t released by August 8.
Speaking during a charged rally in Embu County, DCP Secretary General Cleophas Malala demanded urgent action from President William Ruto, threatening a mass protest including a march to State House if schools don’t receive the funds.
The rally also marked the return of Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji, who was recently released from custody after being arrested in connection to the Saba Saba protests.
Malala lashed out at the Kenya Kwanza administration, accusing it of sabotaging free education efforts through what he described as deliberate underfunding.
“This isn’t about a shortage of money. It’s about corruption and skewed priorities,” said Malala. “There’s money going to ghost schools while real students across Kenya are struggling.”
Nyandarua Senator John Methu echoed the criticism, saying the underfunding was a direct attack on the future of the country’s children. He blamed some of the President’s advisors for misguiding him on education financing.
Other politicians present at the rally, such as Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu, Karungo wa Thang’wa of Kiambu, Onesmus Ngogoyo, MP for Kajiado North, Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara, John Kaguchia of Mukurweini, and Robert Mbui, MP for Kathiani, all decried the action. They threatened that if the crisis was not resolved, Kenya’s education sector would suffer long-term losses.
MP Mukunji also weighed in, calling the delay in school funds a ticking time bomb.
“This isn’t just about capitation it’s about the soul of our nation,” he said. “We cannot gamble with the future of our youth.”
With the August 8 deadline fast approaching, pressure is piling on the government from both the opposition and civil society to act swiftly and avoid a fresh education crisis.
