Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has allayed fears that the government is planning to scrap the free primary and secondary education programme due to budgetary constraints.
Speaking at St. Thomas Girls Secondary School in Kilifi County on Friday, July 25, 2025, Bitok said that the statements by Cabinet Secretary for Treasury John Mbadi while appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Education had been taken out of context.
Bitok also observed that although the Ministry budget allocation rose to KES 702 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year, the amount does not match funding needs.
Programme intact
“I want to assure the country that the policy on free primary and secondary education has not changed. The government will continue financing education through capitation as it has been over the years,” Bitok said.
Bitok said that instead, Parliament will be lobbied to enhance the education budget to bridge the funding deficit for capitation and national examinations, among other expenditures.
“Growing demand means we must work even harder to ensure these investments reach every learner, especially through capitation. We are continuing to engage parliament so that we get the required resources to support education in this country,” he assured.
Mbadi’s statement misinterpreted
The PS defended Mbadi’s comments on the sustainability of free education, saying they had been misinterpreted.
“What he underscored, and what we reaffirm, is the need for closer collaboration with Parliament to ensure that education funding keeps pace with the growing needs of our learners,” Bitok said.
Kilifi North MP Owen Baya also confirmed that the free education programme would not be scrapped despite Mbadi’s remarks.
“As a leader of government business in the House, I can confirm that indeed there has been no change in policy about funding public education. As MPs, we will continue to set aside funds, including for university education,” Baya noted.
On Thursday, July 24, 2025, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi admitted to the members of the Education Committee that the government could no longer fund free secondary and primary education in the country.
“The truth of the matter is, we don’t have the capacity to finance Free Primary Education and Free Day Secondary education. Let us not live a lie; the budget we approve cannot provide the Sh22,244 required per learner. This is not possible,” Mbadi said.
“The thing is, we have been underfunding the education sector. The government is failing to do this because of other competing needs such as the debt repayments, which we have been making as they are too high compared to before,” he added
Source: K24tv
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