Education CS Machogu Dispels Crisis: Government Releases Funds to Schools
Following reports of delays in the disbursement of capitation, the Secretary of the Cabinet for Education, Ezekiel Machogu, has stated that there is no crisis in any learning institutions across the country.
Speaking exclusively to Citizen TV on Friday, CS Machogu confirmed that the Ministry of Education has received funds from the National Treasury and has begun its distribution to primary, secondary, and junior secondary schools across the country. He promised that the money would hit the school accounts between Friday and the following week.
This is even though a spot check in the counties of Kajiado, Kisii, Nyamira, Siaya, and Mombasa established that various schools had not yet received the funds as of the close of business on Friday.
On Thursday, the government announced plans to release capitation to primary, secondary, and junior secondary schools across the country on June 9, 2023. This news seemed to mark the end of the long wait that schools across the country had endured.
“Kwa sasa hivi hatujapokea pesa kutoka kwa serikali lakini tuna matumanini kuna pesa zitafika hivi karibuni,” the CS said.
CS Machogu insisted that everything is fine and placed the blame for the delays on the bank’s procedures.
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“We are sending out the capitation, you know the process once you get the money the necessary details are sent to the bank, and once the necessary preparation has been given to the various banks the money should be able to reflect in the school accounts by Friday at the very latest,” he pointed out. “We are sending out the capitation.”
The vast majority of school administrators have been complaining about how difficult it is to manage school operations with empty coffers, which is an assertion that the CS disputes.
“We don’t have a crisis as it is being put in certain quarters because we opened the schools on the 8th and in particular all of our national schools, county, and extra county…their parents also pay fees, do you think the schools had finished the stock of money that was paid in the form of fees by this time?” Machogu struck a pose.
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CS Machogu had indicated that schools were to receive Ksh.28 billion as capitation while answering questions from Members of Parliament on Wednesday; however, on Thursday a breakdown by the National Treasury showed that schools are expected to only get Ksh.24 billion; this is a difference of Ksh.4 billion.
“There is money for infrastructural development which is about Ksh.2 billion and another Ksh.2 billion which is supposed to be for the school feeding program, so the Ksh.4 billion we are yet to get,” he stated. “There is money for infrastructural development which is about Ksh.2 billion and another Ksh.2 billion which is supposed to be for the school feeding program.”
Because it is expected that the ministry will disburse 50% of the capitation in the first term, 30% in the second term, and 20% in the third term, the heads of the schools are also questioning the criteria that the ministry adopted to distribute the funds.
According to CS Machogu, the execution of this strategy is an integral component of the reforms that are not yet complete but are in the works.
Education CS Machogu Dispels Crisis: Government Releases Funds to Schools
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