NAIROBI, Kenya July 26 – Kenya’s two-decade-old free schooling programme is now on life help and President William Ruto’s authorities seems both unwilling or unable to cease the bleeding.
From drastic finances cuts and mismanaged priorities to a suspicious silence within the face of public outcry, schooling as soon as a proud cornerstone of Kenya’s social progress is now being choked by a authorities that appears to worth PR over coverage.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi’s stunning declaration on July 24, 2025 that “the programme is not sustainable” triggered a firestorm.
He cited surging enrolment and monetary constraints.
But as public fury grew, Mbadi shortly pivoted, making an attempt to shift the blame onto Parliament.
He argued that lawmakers had accredited a grossly insufficient finances, handcuffing the Treasury from absolutely supporting learners.
“We disbursed all the quantity allotted within the finances, however it’s nonetheless not sufficient… that doesn’t imply it meets the precise want. We can’t give each youngster in Kenya the Sh22,000 required,” Mbadi mentioned.
Yet critics will not be shopping for it.
This is identical Parliament many Kenyans consider is firmly underneath Executive management, a physique that swiftly passes punitive tax legal guidelines, approves huge spending on non-essentials, and infrequently questions the presidency.
For hundreds of thousands of Kenyans, particularly the agricultural poor, this isn’t nearly numbers it’s about betrayal.
This got here as the federal government slashed secondary college capitation by over Sh5,000 per scholar, and launched the lowest-ever disbursement for Term II simply Sh3,471 per scholar.
The declaration sparked fury, confusion, and worry amongst hundreds of thousands of fogeys.
Yet the silence from President Ruto himself has been deafening.
As the disaster escalates, the President has but to provide a transparent assurance that the programme, which has benefited generations since 2003, gained’t die underneath his watch.
Table of Contents
– Why the Kenya free schooling disaster isn’t just about cash –
The administration’s dedication to free schooling is now on the spot.
Kenyans are asking why billions are being funneled into flashy renovations of State House and bloated political programmes, whereas public colleges are on the verge of monetary collapse.
One such initiative is the Deputy President Kithure Kindiki’s controversial “empowerment” tour, a populist cash-handout programme the place cash is dished out in rallies throughout counties, usually by politicians seen as positioning for 2027.
Education stakeholders have known as this a betrayal of the very kids the federal government claims to serve.
“Stop these renovations in massive places of work and direct that cash into the schooling of Kenyan kids. Every Kenyan household is represented in a studying establishment, help them,” mentioned Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro.
-Corruption over learners –
Beyond the misplaced priorities lies a fair darker rot, corruption.
Billions have reportedly vanished in opaque procurement, ghost colleges, and unmonitored tasks.
The latest Sh45 billion e-Citizen scandal has solely intensified public distrust.
Despite repeated calls from MPs, civil society, and academics’ unions, President Ruto’s regime has dragged its ft in prosecuting these accountable, fueling accusations that the state is complicit or detached.
“It’s not simply neglect. It’s sabotage,” one college head instructed us underneath anonymity, describing how unpaid suppliers and ballooning money owed have left many faculties close to shutdown.
The disaster has pressured college heads to secretly hike unlawful levies or beg dad and mom to plug finances holes.
Proposals are already on the desk to extend college charges by as much as Sh27,000 in some establishments, a demise sentence for kids from poor households.
Meanwhile, the National Parents Association warns of a ticking time bomb.
“You’re risking the way forward for our kids. The Constitution says schooling is a proper not a favour,” mentioned chairman Silas Obuhatsa.
Introduced by the previous President, the late Mwai Kibaki in 2003, and was expanded underneath successive regimes, free schooling was hailed globally as a daring, progressive coverage.
It lifted hundreds of thousands from poverty and made college accessible to all.
But underneath Ruto’s watch, that legacy is crumbling, not due to necessity, however due to neglect, corruption, and misplaced political priorities.
