Suba South Member of Parliament Caroli Omondi says Kenya is the second-highest spender on education in Africa, trailing only South Africa.

Speaking during a TV interview on Monday, July 28, 2025, Omondi said the country has made major strides in enrolment and outcomes, and any suggestion that free education is “unsustainable” is misleading.

“If there is one thing where Kenya has been rated high, in fact within Africa, Kenya is number one if you take out South Africa in terms of education expenditure, education outcomes and enrolment,” he stated.

Omondi criticised recent remarks by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, who had said that free primary and free day secondary education programmes are no longer financially sustainable. The MP described the comments as “very unfortunate” and said they had caused public panic.

“I think it caused a lot of anxiety as you can see with the reaction from members of the public,” Omondi said during a televised interview. He argued that education should not be viewed as a burden, but as a long-term investment in the country’s future.

Omondi urges education integrity

He said Treasury officials should avoid a narrow, accounting approach and instead embrace the bigger picture.

“The role of the Treasury is to mobilise resources for priority programmes,” he said.

According to Omondi, early childhood education enrolment is currently at 78 per cent, primary school enrolment is almost 100 per cent, and secondary school enrolment ranges between 50 and 70 per cent, depending on the region. He noted that Kenya spends 5.3 per cent of its GDP on education, higher than the global average of 4.3 per cent.

Omondi urged the government to strengthen financial systems in education to stop wastage and corruption, instead of threatening to cut key programmes.

His remarks come as education policy expert Boaz Waruku also called out the Treasury, accusing leaders of saying one thing in Parliament and another outside it.

Waruku insisted that what Mbadi presented to lawmakers during the budget debate clearly showed underfunding, including cuts in capitation and a lack of provision for exam fees. He termed later public reassurances by Mbadi and President Ruto as “political gerrymandering.”

“Don’t mislead Kenyans outside Parliament. If you’ve said something in Parliament, then walk the talk,” Waruku said.