Capitation funds to hit school accounts by Friday – PS Bitok

Basic Education PS Julius Bitok joins Masii Boys High students for lunch after visiting the school on Friday, September 5, 2025. /EDUMIN

Public schools will start receiving capitation funds by the end of next week after weeks of delays occasioned by a nationwide verification of student enrolment data, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has said.

Speaking at Machakos Teachers Training College, where the verification process is ongoing, PS Bitok said 3,000 schools out of 32,000 institutions had already received their third-term capitation after their data was certified as genuine.

He assured that all compliant schools will be credited by Friday next week.

“We are anticipating that by the end of next week, all of our 32,000 schools will have received their money,” the PS said.

The delays have been linked to concerns raised by the Auditor General and MPs over fraudulent disbursement of capitation in past years.

Officials had raised alarm over ghost schools and inflated enrolment figures, prompting the government to tighten controls.

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu told Parliament on July 16 that unscrupulous officials had exploited gaps in data to siphon Sh3.7 billion in the name of capitation.

She revealed that 33 non-existent schools received the billions over a span of four years.

The disclosure was made before the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly against the backdrop of a Sh117 billion funding gap in the education sector.

PS Bitok defended the stringent data verification exercise, saying it was essential to ensure accountability.

Schools are now required to submit the Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) found in each learner’s birth certificate, the institution’s registration number, and certified bank details through subcounty education offices.

“We had no option but to verify the data to ensure that every shilling reaches the right school and the right learner. This is about accountability to the Kenyan child and to the nation,” the PS said in a statement on Friday.

Secondary schools top the compliance list, followed by junior schools, while many primary schools are still catching up, largely due to internet and technology challenges.

Bitok cited Masii Boys High School in Machakos as an example of timely compliance, having already received its full allocation.

He said the government has extended the deadline for submission of data to Friday, September 12, 2025, to give remaining schools time to comply.

However, the PS warned principals and county supervisors who fail to submit data in the required format that they risk severe punishment.

Attention now shifts to the Ministry of Education to ensure that the promised disbursements are made on time.

With schools already into the third term, administrators are racing against the clock to settle pending bills and ensure a smooth finish to the academic year.