Kilifi – The government has reaffirmed its commitment to free primary and secondary education, pushing back against criticism that thefree primary education has been abolished. Speaking at St. Thomas Girls Secondary School in Kilifi, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok declared that the free primary and secondary education remains intact and fully operational.
“I want to assure the country that the policy on free primary and secondary education has not changed,” PS Bitok said on Friday. “The government will continue financing education through capitation as it has done over the years.” His statement follows mounting speculation after Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi’s recent remarks, which critics interpreted as a warning that the program might be under jeopardy. PS Bitok clarified that CS Mbadi’s comments had been taken out of context.
“What he underscored, and what we reaffirm, is the need for closer collaboration with Parliament to ensure education funding keeps pace with the growing needs of our learners,” PS Bitok assured the public.
Despite the Ministry of Education receiving a record budget of KSh702 billion in the current fiscal year, PS Bitok highlighted that the current funding remains insufficient to fully meet rising enrollment, infrastructure demand, and exam funding.“Growing demand means we must work even harder to ensure these investments reach every learner, especially through capitation. We are continuing to engage Parliament so that we get the required resources to support education in this country,” PS Bitok said.
Kilifi North MP Owen Baya, who serves as Deputy Majority Leader in the National Assembly, echoed the sentiments, stating, “As a leader of government business in the House, I can confirm that there has been no change in policy about funding public education. As MPs, we will continue to set aside funds, including for university education.”
PS Bitok also announced that the Ministry is replacing the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) with a new platform called Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS). The new system is designed to track students and teachers more accurately and eliminate irregularities in capitation disbursement. “We are overhauling the system. With KEMIS, we can track every student, every teacher, every transfer, eliminating delays and ghost entries,” PS Bitok said. He also highlighted the recruitment of over 100,000 new teachers under the current administration, comparing it to previous years where hiring ranged between 3,000 to 5,000 annually.
“This is a record that speaks for itself,” he said, underscoring the government’s broader investment in strengthening education infrastructure and staffing.PS Bitok issued a strong warning against sexual misconduct in schools, stating that the government will take firm action on any offender. “To anyone taking advantage of our children, we will come for you! That era is over! Report them, and we will act,” PS Bitok warned the public.
The reaffirmation of free education and rollout of KEMIS come as the Ministry works to streamline operations and restore public trust in the education sector. The government continues to lobby Parliament for increased education funding to support the growing number of learners and ensure quality services are maintained across all public institutions.
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