Nairobi MPs call for dialogue on school capitation amid budget strain
By Faith Lagat, July 31, 2025Nairobi County Members of Parliament have urged the national government to initiate transparent and urgent conversations around the chronic shortfall in school capitation funds.
The legislators, on July 31, 2025, during a sitting, attributed the mismatch to rapid urban population growth and a lag in budgetary adjustments, which they say have left learners in public schools underfunded.
Despite the official capitation amount being set at Ksh 22,244 per learner, lawmakers revealed that schools in Nairobi are effectively receiving as low as Ksh 16,000 due to higher-than-expected enrolment figures, especially in informal settlements.
Speaking during a media briefing, Mathare MP Antony Aluoch clarified that Parliament had approved the full capitation amount, and the National Treasury had released funds in the agreed 50:30:20 ratio across the school terms. However, the ground realities have diluted the per-learner impact.
“This is not because of a cut. It is because our schools are absorbing more students than the budget anticipated. That is a structural challenge we must now confront,” Aluoch said.
Supplementary budget intervention
The MPs noted that for the past seven years, no administration had fully honored the official capitation target. Despite this, schools, teachers, and parents have silently shouldered the burden to keep learners in classrooms.
“Year after year, schools have received less than what was promised. Yet the burden has been carried in silence,” the MPs stated in a joint communiqué. “We are in a new era of transparency, and while that may feel uncomfortable, it is necessary if we are to fix the system and restore public confidence in free education.”
To address the existing gaps, the legislators proposed that the government invoke Article 223 of the Constitution during the upcoming 1st Supplementary Budget to allocate additional resources toward school capitation. They called on the Cabinet Secretaries for Education and the National Treasury to act with urgency and table the changes for parliamentary ratification.
They also committed to engaging the relevant committees in Parliament to push for budget allocations that match the real educational demands on the ground, particularly in underprivileged Nairobi neighborhoods.
Equity in education
“Nairobi children, especially those from economically disadvantaged areas, have a right to quality education. As MPs, we have listened to the Treasury CS, and we will engage through the proper channels to ensure the budget reflects the real situation,” the lawmakers pledged.
The press conference was attended by Hon. Beatrice Elachi (Dagoretti North), Hon. Phelix Odiour (Lang’ata), Hon. Peter Orero (Kibra), Hon. George Aladwa (Makadara), Sen. Tabitha Mutinda (nominated), and Sen. Karen Nyamu (nominated).