President Ruto Orders Review of School Capitation With Jan 2027 Deadline

President William Ruto has directed the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission to review government funding for public schools and to submit recommendations by January 2027, opening the possibility of an upward adjustment to school capitation.

Speaking at the Kenya Comprehensive School Heads Association National Annual General Meeting in Mombasa on November 12, Ruto instructed Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and the TSC to examine the numbers and present their findings to his desk.

He noted that the last comprehensive review of school capitation was carried out in 2015 and that allocations have risen from KSh1,040 per learner to KSh1,400 and subsequently to KSh2,300, but said further upward revision is required.

Current capitation rates stand at KSh1,420 per primary learner, KSh15,042 per junior secondary learner and KSh22,244 per senior secondary learner, the senior rate having been introduced in 2018 after increases from KSh10,625 in 2008 to KSh12,870 in 2015; in 2023 learners received an average of KSh16,428 in secondary capitation, which later fell to around KSh17,000.

Ruto also directed the Ministry, the TSC and teachers’ unions to develop a single funding model for primary and junior schools under the comprehensive school system.

He linked adequate financing to learning outcomes, citing findings that 29 percent of Grade Nine learners in junior schools lack both reading and numeracy skills, and stressed that sufficient teachers, learning spaces and funding are essential.

The President highlighted recent education investments, including the recruitment of 100,000 teachers over the past four years, a further 20,000 expected in December, the construction of 23,000 classrooms and the delivery of 1,600 laboratories for senior schools.

Ruto said the review will assess whether the per-learner allocation is sufficient to meet the operational costs schools face and to support the implementation of the new Competency-Based Education curriculum.