Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Ogamba will face Parliament on Wednesday to answer for delays in releasing capitation funds to schools. The summons follows an intense debate in the National Assembly on Tuesday, where MPs demanded accountability for the ministry’s failure to honour previous commitments.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula instructed Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah to ensure Ogamba appears before the House to respond to questions raised by lawmakers.
Schools are scheduled to start closing from October 20, raising fears that many public institutions could enter the December break without the government funding they rely on.
Ogamba had informed Parliament last week that the capitation funds would be released only after an audit was completed to verify legitimate schools and eliminate ghost institutions.
“To ensure transparency and accountability in utilisation of public resources, we decided that capitation will only be disbursed to schools that have been verified,” he said on October 8.
MPs expressed frustration that the ministry has not followed through on the promise. They argued that the delay has caused financial strain, disrupted school activities, and negatively impacted learners.
Marakwet East MP David Bowen called for capitation to be treated as a routine expenditure rather than a conditional allocation.
“The CS for Education was here last week and made a promise to release funds for all learners. Why has this not been fulfilled?” Bowen asked. He urged Parliament’s Budget Committee to prioritise school capitation the same way civil servant salaries are treated, saying, “Learners are struggling and children are suffering.”
Gilgil MP Martha Wangari raised concerns that the delay might conceal deeper issues within the ministry.
“Beginning next week, Form Two and Three students are being released to go home, so the money set to be released will go to which expenditure?” she asked, hinting at possible mismanagement.
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah reminded MPs that Parliament must exercise oversight over the executive, stressing that Cabinet Secretaries must honour their commitments to the House.
“When Cabinet Secretaries appear before the plenary or committees, they are doing so to answer questions raised by Members of Parliament. What they pronounce before the House must be done,” he said. Ichung’wah added that partial funds could have been released if verification posed challenges. “It is not 100 per cent of the students who are not legitimate. If the challenges lie with the National Treasury, then the CS should say so,” he said.
Minority Leader Junet Mohamed warned that Parliament would act under its constitutional authority if Ogamba fails to provide satisfactory explanations.
During his previous appearance, Ogamba had also pledged to address the lecturers’ strike, release capitation funds, and tackle other ministry issues, but progress remains slow.