Education can’t be free in Kenya today – President Ruto
President William Ruto has said the government cannot entirely offset costs for education on behalf of parents.
President William Ruto has said the government cannot entirely offset costs for education on behalf of parents.
Speaking in Nakuru County during the Nyota Business Start-Up Capital disbursement, the president noted that even as the government strives to make education access easy for all, it can’t be free entirely due to financial constraints.
According to him, the current budget is not enough to take care of all learners across the country, this as he outlined having increased the allocation for education from KSh 500 billion to KSh 700 billion.
“Each child, poor or rich, has a chance to learn in the universities and colleges because those from the poor households have 90% access to bursaries and scholarships. Parents are paying a small part. Education can’t be entirely free, because we don’t have the money to make it free. We must be honest with ourselves,” he said.
The head of state referenced the situation in a previous regime when Kenya’s tertiary education almost collapsed after the government opted to take care of all students.
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He said the state had no money to take care of everyone, a move that threatened the wellness of university education.
The president explained that the economy has to be strong to fund free education in the country.
“There was a time we said university education would be free, and they nearly collapsed because we couldn’t afford it. We must work progressively; as we improve the economy, we will have the financial muscle to pay for everyone. For now, it has to be a partnership between the government, parent and other stakeholders,” he said.
Ruto’s explanation came amid concerns of reduced and delayed funding for public schools.
In light of the concerns, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro strongly cautioned the government over what he described as insufficient funding for schools in the 2026 academic year.
Addressing the issue on Tuesday, January 6, Nyoro faulted the government for allocating only Ksh109 per student for the current term, dismissing official claims of capitation disbursement as misleading.
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