NAIROBI — Kenya’s education sector is bracing for yet another round of budget cuts, sparking fresh concerns over the quality of learning in public schools and the future of critical reforms such as the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The Treasury has slashed allocations across key education programmes in its latest budget estimates, with funding for school infrastructure, teacher recruitment, and curriculum support among those affected. While the government says the cuts are necessary to manage public debt and balance competing priorities, education advocates warn the consequences could be long-lasting.
“This is deeply worrying,” said Janet Omondi, a teacher and union representative in Kisumu. “We’re already stretched. Classrooms are overcrowded, there aren’t enough books, and now we’re being told to do more with even less?”
Official figures show that allocations to the Ministry of Education have been trimmed by several billion shillings compared to last year. The School Infrastructure Improvement Programme has taken one of the biggest hits, alongside teacher training initiatives and grants to junior secondary schools.
The move comes as Kenya rolls out the CBC nationwide a system that demands smaller class sizes, hands-on learning, and well-equipped classrooms. Yet in many schools, especially in rural and informal urban areas, learners still sit on floors or share outdated textbooks.
“We need more teachers, not fewer. More science labs, not cutbacks,” said Ezekiel Mutua, an education policy analyst. “Cutting funding now undermines everything the CBC is trying to achieve.”
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have both condemned the cuts. In a joint statement, they accused the government of making empty promises about education reform while starving the system of resources.
“You cannot talk about delivering quality education when schools are collapsing, teachers are unpaid, and students lack basic materials,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the cabinet secretary for education has defended the revised budget, saying the ministry is working with available resources and exploring partnerships to plug gaps. “We are committed to ensuring no learner is left behind,” he said earlier this week. “But we must also live within our means.”
That message may not sit well with schools already struggling to operate. In many counties, head teachers have reported delays in capitation grants, forcing some to send learners home or halt feeding programmes.
The impact is felt most sharply in marginalised areas, where children depend on public schools for meals and basic healthcare.
“We have parents asking if their children can bring firewood in exchange for school lunch,” said a head teacher in Turkana County, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. “This isn’t just a budget issue. It’s about dignity.”
With the new financial year fast approaching, education stakeholders are urging Parliament to reconsider the proposed cuts and prioritise education in supplementary allocations.
“Education is not a luxury,” said Mutua. “It is the foundation of everything else health, jobs, peace. Undermining it now is a dangerous gamble.”
As MPs debate the budget in coming weeks, one question hangs over the chamber: how much can Kenya afford to save by cutting corners on classrooms?
