Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro has threatened to mobilise parents to protest against the government over the delayed release of first-term school capitation funds, warning that continued inaction could disrupt learning across the country.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, January 6, the former Chairperson of the National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee said the government must disburse the full capitation allocation by midterm to enable schools to operate effectively.
Nyoro argued that the failure to release adequate funds was undermining school management and denying learners their constitutional right to free basic education. He dismissed government claims that sufficient funds had already been released to allow heads of institutions to run schools, terming the assertions inaccurate.
According to the lawmaker, he would take a leading role in pushing for the timely release of the funds to ensure schools are not forced to shift the financial burden to parents.
“Some of these things are not begging; as leaders, we are just telling the government to do what they need to do. Last week we told the government that they needed to release a circular on capitation, or we were going to take some unspecified action,” Nyoro said.
He added that the first step would be to inform all stakeholders about what he termed as misleading information from the government regarding the funding status. Nyoro warned that parents could be compelled to take action if the situation does not improve.
“The first phase, we are going to make it our obligation to make all stakeholders aware that what the government is saying is not correct, and this term we will be keen to assess the government’s behaviour in terms of sending money. The parents cannot continue to stare silently as the government continues to tear down rights of the learners,” he said.
Nyoro’s remarks come amid growing concern among school administrators over delayed capitation, which is critical for meeting operational costs such as learning materials, utilities and co-curricular activities.
