Patrick Karinga Munuhe, National Chairman- KNUT
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has called on the National Treasury to urgently release capitation funds for the second term, warning that public schools across the country are in crisis due to lack of operational funding.
KNUT National Chairman Patrick Karinga sounded the alarm during a media interview, revealing that academic programmes and co-curricular activities in many public schools have come to a standstill. This is attributed to delays by the government in releasing funds essential for school operations.
“Principals have no money to run schools. They are being unfairly blamed for not delivering the curriculum as required,” said Karinga. “The situation is so dire that some schools sent students home for mid-term break a week earlier than scheduled to avoid a potential strike by learners.”
According to Karinga, schools have been crippled by an acute cash crunch, exacerbated by the government’s failure to disburse the expected 50 percent of capitation in the first term. He noted that only a small fraction of this amount was received, leaving institutions struggling under heavy debt.
The KNUT chair also highlighted the breakdown of relationships between school administrations and key stakeholders, including suppliers, non-teaching staff, and Board of Management (BOM) teachers, all of whom are owed salaries and payments.
He expressed concern that the crisis is now threatening the overall quality of education, as teachers are unable to cover the syllabus due to the lack of teaching materials and operational resources. “Failure to complete the curriculum will inevitably lead to poor education outcomes,” Karinga warned.
The union also cited frustrations from the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association, whose chairperson, Amistha Kurya, has received numerous complaints from school principals. Many heads of institutions reportedly visit banks only to find that funds are yet to be credited to school accounts, despite assurances from the Ministry of Education.
Karinga accused the Ministry of Education of failing to act decisively. “Some school heads are even considering resigning due to the unbearable stress they are facing. They are being held accountable for failures that stem from lack of funding—not from mismanagement,” he said.
He further criticized recent directives that require school heads to release students’ certificates regardless of fee balances, without any form of compensation for the schools. “If heads are to comply with such policies, then the government must ensure schools are adequately funded to avoid collapse,” he said.
KNUT has urged the Cabinet Secretary for Education and the National Treasury to act swiftly and release the required funds to safeguard the future of millions of learners and stabilize public education.