Secondary school Principals are up in arms over low insufficient capitation funds they received and have thus called on the government to urgently wire the deficit to enable smooth running of schools.
This comes after schools received capitation funds amounting to Ksh16 billion on Thursday, September 21, 2023.
Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) National Treasurer Amos Cherono said that they were shocked to receive Ksh2,500 per student while they were expecting Ksh7,000 leaving a balance of Ksh4,500.
He said that Ksh500 would go to tuition while Ksh2,000 would cover operations for the whole term, stating that this is a drop in the ocean considering the amount of bills to be paid.
The Principals have previously complained over deficits. In Financial Year (FY) 2021/2022 they expected Ksh22,244 per student but only received Ksh17,792 leaving a balance of Ksh4,451 while in FY 2022/2023 they received Ksh17,339 leaving a balance of Ksh4,905.
The total deficit per student now stands at Ksh13,856.
Cherono indicated that schools would have a hard time dealing with suppliers who have not been paid since the beginning of the year due to low funding from the government.
According to recent reports, schools owe suppliers well above Ksh29 billion in pending bills and some Principals are reported to be playing hide and seek in their institutions to avoid confrontation with angry service providers.
By Our Reporter
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