A policy and strategy advisor has raised concern over Kenya’s education funding, saying the current budget structure leaves room for misuse of public money and does not clearly address long-standing challenges in the sector.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Friday, Policy and Strategy Advisor at the Elimu Bora Working Group, Boaz Waruku criticised the allocation of Sh3.5 billion meant for infrastructure development in 400 schools, describing it as unclear and open to abuse.
He said the way the funds are planned raises questions on fairness and transparency, especially because there is no clear list of schools expected to benefit.
“You must be very clear when you say 400 schools. How many schools do you have in the country?” he posed, noting that Kenya has over 26,000 primary schools and nearly 10,000 secondary schools.
Waruku warned that the lack of clear identification of beneficiary schools gives space for influence and favouritism in distribution.
“That money is not attached to any particular school… you can take a lot more and give to your favourites,” he said.
His remarks come as budget documents show that education infrastructure funds are grouped under broad programmes, with final decisions on implementation left to government offices, a structure he said weakens accountability and oversight.
He also raised concern that the system allows powerful offices to influence how funds are shared, pointing to what he described as concentration of control in top levels of government.
“The discretion lies with who is holding that purse… it’s not even the CS, that’s the State House,” he said.
He added that this approach has in the past led to uneven development, where some schools receive more support than others based on unclear criteria, rather than need.
Waruku urged stronger involvement of Parliament in the budgeting process to ensure funds are used in a clear and accountable way.
“The budget should be very specific, and Parliament should be the authority determining how those resources are used,” he said.
He further called on the public to take part in budget discussions and push for priorities that reflect real needs in schools.
“Ask them to prioritize things which are not working in education… and deal with the culprits who are stealing money,” he urged.
According to budget estimates, the education sector remains the largest recipient of government spending, with more than Sh700 billion allocated in the 2025/2026 financial year to cover capitation, teacher salaries, and infrastructure projects. However, only a small portion goes directly to school infrastructure, often placed under broad development votes that do not clearly name beneficiary schools.
Waruku warned that increasing funding alone will not improve learning outcomes if accountability gaps remain.
“Even if you are allocating so much… and then you steal a lot of it, we will still not meet that goal,” he said.