Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has strongly defended the government’s decision to digitise the school capitation process, saying the move is aimed at ensuring proper use of public funds and ending long-standing cases of mismanagement in the education sector.

Speaking during a public address, Mudavadi said the transition from manual to digital systems will enhance transparency, streamline fund disbursement, and allow real-time tracking of how resources are used across all learning institutions.

He said the government is committed to ensuring every coin disbursed reaches the intended learners.

“We have reports of funds meant for capitation being misappropriated in certain circumstances, with the dailies reporting an estimated Sh2 billion having been misused,” Mudavadi regretted.

He blamed the manual system for creating loopholes that have been exploited by corrupt officials and said this is what has pushed the government to fast-track digitisation in education financing.

“Na ndiyo mliona wengine wakati Rais alisema ‘let us digitise capitation’ wakaanza kupiga kelele kwa sababu wanataka manual, ndiyo waendelee kupora rasilimali zinazohitajika kwa wanafunzi wetu. We will not allow this. We must move forward, use technology, and ensure that resources reach the people who need them,” he said.

Mudavadi said those responsible for handling education funds must be fully accountable, warning that the government is building systems that will trace every transaction down to the last recipient in the disbursement chain.

He confirmed that the Ministry of ICT and the Ministry of Education are working together to ensure the digitisation process is completed without delay, including the possible use of platforms like eCitizen to deliver funds directly.

“The government is putting in place a budget of around Sh600 billion to fund the education sector. We want to relook at the whole process of disbursement and audit where the Sh600 billion goes and what the funds support, because we want to organise it better,” noted Mudavadi.

He also spoke about the ongoing struggles faced by students in higher learning institutions, saying many of them are unable to afford basic needs such as food. He assured the public that the government is working to improve support for all deserving learners.

“We also understand the difficulties our children in universities and other institutions of higher learning are facing. Many can’t even afford a meal. We are working to ensure that all deserving students can benefit from government support—and even afford to have a decent meal.”

Mudavadi added that the government will only allow public funds to be used for their rightful purposes moving forward, with systems in place to ensure full compliance.

Currently, funds for schools are disbursed in three stages across the academic calendar: 50 percent in Term One, 30 percent in Term Two, and the remaining 20 percent in Term Three.