The Council of Governors has openly challenged National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi following his assertion that the government is unable to continue funding free primary and secondary education.

The Council's CEO Mary Mwiti on Friday said the remarks were reckless and threatened to jeopardize the future of underprivileged children who rely on public education.

Speaking from the Council’s Delta offices in Nairobi, Mwiti stressed that education is one of the few remaining tools for social mobility and national cohesion and should be safeguarded at all costs.

Her response comes in the wake of revelations that parents could soon be forced to shoulder education costs, after it emerged that a portion of the funds meant for free education may have been lost to fictitious schools.

CS Mbadi had earlier admitted that capitation for secondary schools had been cut from Sh22,244 to Sh16,900 per learner due to budget constraints, stating that Kenya had been operating under the illusion of fully funded free education.

He cited the country’s growing debt burden as a key factor behind the shrinking budget for essential services like education.

In Parliament, Education Ministry officials came under fire as lawmakers demanded answers on how billions of shillings were disbursed to schools that do not exist.

Lawmakers grilled CS Julius Ogamba over the widespread inconsistencies in school funding and called for an urgent audit to establish the actual number of students and public schools.

The revelations exposed deep flaws in the system, including admissions by the Ministry that it lacks a reliable database of enrolled learners or the real count of operational schools across the country.

Mbadi, while defending the government's position, argued that the current education budget is unsustainable and insisted Parliament had approved the allocations as presented.

However, Ms. Mwiti questioned how the Ministry of Education, which commands a budget of over Sh702 billion, could claim it lacks the capacity to fund capitation, especially when county governments tasked with financing 14 devolved functions including early childhood education operate on just Sh415 billion out of the national Sh4.2 trillion budget.

She further criticized the national government for failing to uphold the constitutional promise of equity and inclusion, arguing that denying children access to free education undermines the principles of justice and fairness.

“When a Cabinet Secretary says the government can’t support free education, what hope is left for vulnerable children in this country?” she asked. Mwiti reiterated the need to prioritize education as a right and not a privilege, calling on the national government to take responsibility and address the growing crisis in the education sector.