The Treasury CS, John Mbadi, has stated that the government cannot offer free education to all learners since the country does not have enough funds to meet the high costs.
During an interview on Ramogi TV on Tuesday, Mbadi stated that although many Kenyans would like to see free education, the government’s budget can only accommodate partial subsidies and not the full fees for all learners.
He stated that the number of learners in the country makes it difficult to accommodate the idea of free education.
According to the CS, the country has approximately 11 million learners in primary schools, 4 million students in secondary schools, and about 650,000 in universities.
“When you look at these numbers and do the math, you realize that the amount of money required is just too much,” Mbadi stated.
The government currently offers KSh 22,000 to each learner in secondary schools. With four million learners, the amount amounts to about KSh 88 billion.
In primary schools, each learner receives KSh 3,000. This amounts to about KSh 33 billion for the 11 million learners.
Together, the two levels alone currently consume more than KSh 120 billion putting heavy pressure on the education budget.
Mbadi noted that even this support does not fully cover school fees. For example, boarding schools cost parents close to KSh 75,000 a year, while day schools cost around KSh 35,000. The government only pays part of the amount, leaving parents to top up the rest.
He said even if all students were moved to day schools and the government tried to pay everything, the budget would still not be enough.
“Free education sounds good, but we must be realistic about what we can afford,” he said.
Mbadi urged Kenyans to understand the financial strain, pointing out that even former President Mwai Kibaki’s free education programme mainly focused on primary schools, not all levels.
His remarks come at a time when many families are struggling with rising school fees and the high cost of living, increasing calls for the government to ease the burden on parents.
