Financing for equity in primary and secondary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to schools
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
In Kenya, education financing operates under a decentralised system. The central government provides the majority of funding and overall oversight, while substantial resources are transferred to counties and schools as grants and subsidies for the development of primary, secondary, and special schools. A portion of resources is also decentralised directly to learning institutions for the provision of teaching and learning materials. This structure allows the central government to set policy and allocate funds, while counties and schools manage and spend a significant share locally.
The Ministry of Education oversees the education system. The State Department for Early Learning and Basic Education is responsible for managing the country’s basic education system, including policy development, school administration, student assessment, special needs education, and international cooperation.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
No information was found on funding mechanisms that allocate central government resources to local governments based on equity considerations.
Kenya’s education system is partially decentralised, with local Boards of Governors responsible for managing schools, including financial planning and resource allocation. The capacity of boards varies across schools. Education funding is primarily determined by a per-student cost formula, with school budgets calculated by multiplying the number of enrolled students by a predetermined per-student amount. This formula is subject to annual review and negotiation between schools and the Ministry of Education.
2. Education resources to schools
The Ministry of Education sends funds directly to individual schools based on per capita funding.
Special Needs Education
Special education institutions receive higher capitation funding than mainstream schools, along with special allowances for teachers working with students with disabilities. In addition to the standard Special Needs Education grant per learner, the government provides top-up capitation to enable schools to procure specialised learning resources, assistive devices, and technologies for learners with special needs.
The government is responsible for providing learning materials and teachers, while parents contribute fees for individual students. The National Special Needs Education Policy, established in 2009, continues to guide funding allocations. Under this framework, the Ministry of Education allocates funds per child according to needs, circumstances, and the cost of living, with periodic reviews of these allocations.
The 2018 Sector Policy for Learners and Trainees with Disabilities identifies 11 categories of learners with special needs: hearing impairment; visual impairment; deaf-blindness; physical impairment; intellectual and developmental disabilities; specific learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia); cerebral palsy; speech and language difficulties; multiple disabilities; autism; and albinism.
Programme for Expanding Educational Opportunities in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands
The programme was launched as part of the Kenya Education Sector Support Programme to support learners in marginalised districts and nomadic communities in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL). It provided funding for mobile schools and low-cost boarding schools. The initiative is no longer ongoing.
The Kenya Secondary Education Equity and Quality Improvement Programme (SEEQIP)
The Kenya SEEQIP (2024-2029), operating on a per capita funding basis, aims to improve access to quality junior secondary education, enhance teaching quality, and strengthen equitable service delivery in secondary education. The programme focuses on expanding low-cost boarding schools in ASAL counties with high numbers of out-of-school children, establishing scholarships for teacher trainees from disadvantaged households in Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Turkana, and supporting refugee learners through grants for school improvement, meals, advocacy, mentorship, and social support. Schools in arid and semi-arid areas include day primary schools, day secondary schools, and regular secondary boarding schools for girls and boys.
3. Education resources to students and families
Elimu Scholarship Programme
Since 2005, the Elimu scholarship programme, has provided secondary and tertiary scholarships to disadvantaged students across all counties in Kenya. Initially launched as a charitable initiative, it was incorporated into the government expenditure framework in 2015.
The programme, managed by the Ministry of Education through the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, Equity Group Foundation, and the German Foundation, targets orphans, children from low-income backgrounds, residents of informal urban settlements, refugees, and students with special needs or disabilities. Scholarships are awarded based on disadvantage, KCPE exam performance, and affirmative action.
As part of the government’s Free Day Secondary Education programme, the scholarship covers school fees for public or recognised private secondary schools, transport, learning materials, and school kits for four years. Boarding fees and uniforms are not covered, meaning secondary education remains financially challenging for some families. The 2024 Basic Education Scholarships and Bursaries Bill establishes the Basic Education Scholarships and Bursaries Council to succeed the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation in managing the programme.
Secondary Bursaries Management Service
The Secondary School Bursaries Scheme was launched in 2008, prior to the introduction of the Free Day Secondary Education programme, and is managed and funded by the Ministry of Education. The scheme targets vulnerable children, including orphans, girls, and students from low-income households in slum areas, high-poverty regions, and ASAL districts. Its objectives are to improve access, support retention, and reduce disparities in secondary education.
Under the Free Day Secondary Education programme, the government provides capitation per learner, human resources, and utilities such as power and water, while parents contribute meals and some learning materials. The scheme is overseen by the local Member of Parliament.
Presidential Secondary School Bursary (PSSB)
The Presidential Secondary School Bursary (PSSB), a Vision 2030 flagship initiative, improves access to secondary education for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) to address rising illiteracy. It evolved from the 2006/07 OVC bursary and was formalised in 2013/14, complementing the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection’s efforts. The programme promotes enrolment, retention, and transition to ensure completion of secondary education while supporting self-reliance and child protection. Eligibility requires applicants to be orphans or vulnerable children from financially disadvantaged households, under 18 at entry, enrolled in a public boarding secondary school, and residing within the target constituency; needy children in statutory institutions are also considered. The Treasury allocates a maximum of Ksh. 30,000 per beneficiary per year.
Sanitary Towel Programme
Launched in 2011 under the Ministry of Education, the government-funded sanitary towel programme provides girls from disadvantaged backgrounds with a monthly supply of disposable sanitary towels to reduce absenteeism, increase retention, and prevent drop-out. Teachers are trained to provide psycho-social support. Though briefly transferred to the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs during 2017/18, the programme has returned to the Ministry of Education, which continues to supply sanitary towels under government management as part of the School Health Nutrition and Meals programme in primary education.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
National Safety Net Programme
The Kenya National Safety Net Programme (NSNP), established in September 2013, provides a unified framework for the government’s four cash transfer programmes: Persons With Severe Disabilities Cash Transfer, Older Persons Cash Transfer, Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CT-OVC), and the Hunger Safety Net Cash Transfer. The programme delivers monetary support to persons living with disabilities, which is not linked to education. None of the cash transfers under NSNP carry conditions related to school attendance or educational outcomes.
5. School meal programmes
The Government of Kenya began school meal activities in 1980 in partnership with development partners, continuing to the present. In 2009, the Home-Grown School Meals Programme was launched, under which the Ministry of Education transfers funds to schools to purchase ingredients and provide hot meals from local suppliers to over 900,000 children in semi-arid areas.
In the 2023-2024 school year, these activities were implemented under the Climate Friendly School Feeding Programme, led by the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya (NACONEK) and managed by the national government. Targeting focused on geography, prioritising arid regions with high food insecurity and low socio-economic indicators, and on primary schools from classes 1 to 8.
Until 2024, not all schools received government funding for meals, with parents and guardians covering costs in primary, secondary, and special education institutions. In October 2024, the Ministry of Education launched the National School Meals Coalition and released an Operational Plan to scale up the School Meals Programme for universal coverage.
This profile was reviewed by Dr. Njeru W. Mwirichia.
