By Andrew Mbuva
The National Assembly’s Education Committee wants a swift Ksh 5.9 billion reallocation in next year’s budget to pay exam administrators and invigilators—an expense left out of the 2025/26 estimates.
Committee chair Hon. Julius Melly (Tinderet) told the Budget and Appropriations Committee that national examinations actually need Ksh 11 billion, leaving a Ksh 5.1 billion hole even if the shift is approved.
The money would be drawn from school capitation: Ksh 3 billion from secondary schools, Ksh 2 billion from junior schools and Ksh 900 million from primary schools.
“Examinations are the backbone of our education system; under-funding them threatens their credibility,” Hon. Melly warned.
Lawmakers also want Ksh 7.3 billion to move 20,000 intern teachers onto permanent, pensionable terms when their contracts end later this year.
To tackle a 6,000-strong shortfall of instructors in technical colleges, the committee is pushing for Ksh 1.9 billion to hire 2,000 TVET tutors.
Universities are in line for Ksh 17 billion in scholarships to cover 208,000 first-year students, while schools would get a Ksh 3.7 billion top-up for infrastructure through the NG-CDF.
The Budget and Appropriations Committee will weigh these requests before issuing its final report later this week.
