Secondary school principals have renewed calls for the government to review the current school funding formula, warning that rising inflation, delayed capitation and increasing operational costs are pushing schools into financial distress.
The Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) made the appeal during its 49th Annual Conference in Mombasa on Saturday, June 27, urging the Ministry of Education to replace the funding model introduced in 2015.
According to the principals, the existing formula no longer reflects the actual cost of educating learners and should be revised to include tuition, accommodation, food, learning materials and school operational expenses.
"The conference resolved to petition the government to urgently review the current student unit cost to reflect prevailing inflationary pressures and the actual cost of delivering quality education," said KESSHA official Abdi Noor.
Principals Cite Rising Food and Operational Costs
School heads argued that boarding schools have been hit hardest by soaring food prices, estimating that feeding one student now costs about Ksh247 per day.
They said this translates to nearly Ksh61,000 annually per learner on meals alone, creating significant funding gaps that many schools struggle to bridge.
KESSHA National Chairman Willie Mwangi Kuria noted that the current fee structure, which has remained unchanged since 2015, is no longer sustainable.
"The current secondary school fee was set in 2015, eleven years ago. It is not possible to run a school with that figure," Kuria said.
Delayed Capitation Worsening Financial Pressure
The principals also faulted delays in the release of government capitation, saying some schools received only 35 per cent of first-term allocations and 21.8 per cent during the second term.
According to KESSHA, the delays have disrupted school operations, forcing institutions to reduce essential services or seek additional financial support from parents.
The association also wants co-curricular activities funded separately to ease pressure on school budgets and allow institutions to focus resources on academic programmes.
KESSHA maintained that it will continue engaging the government on education financing reforms, warning that failure to review the funding model could negatively affect the quality of education and learning outcomes across the country.
