By SHABAN MAKOKHA
May 7, 2026| Educationist Benson Malata (pictured) has blasted the Ministry of Education over what he calls “state-sponsored strangulation” of basic education.
A teacher, education consultant, scholar, and writer, Malata has launched a scathing attack on the government over what he describes as the systematic collapse of public primary education through chronic underfunding and delayed capitation.
Malata, a teacher at Musingu High School and a scholar at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, faulted the Ministry of Education for releasing what he termed an “insulting and unrealistic” allocation of Sh188.33 per learner to sustain public primary schools for an entire 14-week term.
In a strongly worded statement reacting to the Ministry’s April 23, 2026 circular on Term Two capitation, Malata accused policymakers at Jogoo House of abandoning the constitutional promise of free and quality basic education.
“For Term Two of 2026, public primary schools received Sh188.33 per learner for 14 weeks. Not per month — the entire term,” said Malata. “That is Sh95.25 in Account One for books and learning materials and Sh93.08 in Account Two for operations. This is not capitation. This is state-sponsored strangulation of basic education.”
To illustrate the crisis, Malata cited Maira Primary School in Nambale Sub-County, Busia County, describing it as a typical rural public school struggling to survive under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
The school has 450 learners spread across pre-primary, lower primary, upper primary, and junior school levels. It also employs three Board of Management teachers and four support staff, including cooks, a watchman, and a secretary.
According to Malata, the school received a total of Sh84,748.50 for the entire term — Sh42,862.50 in Account One and Sh41,886 in Account Two.
He argued that these figures expose the impossible burden placed on head teachers across the country.
Under the operations vote, the school was allocated Sh20 per learner for support staff wages, translating to just Sh9,000 for all four workers over 14 weeks.
“That means each staff member earns roughly Sh642 per month against the legal minimum wage of over Sh15,000,” he noted. “How does a head teacher pay adults Sh642 and still expect them to report to work every day?”
The allocation for electricity, water, and conservancy stood at Sh3,600 for the term — approximately Sh257 per week — an amount Malata says cannot sustain even basic school operations.
He further criticized the Sh900 allocated for science and applied technology, saying it was impossible to run digital literacy and science practical lessons under the CBC curriculum with such funding.
“One beaker costs about Sh350, while a single tablet costs Sh15,000. Yet the Ministry allocated Sh900 for the entire term,” he said.
The repairs and maintenance allocation of Sh10,350 was equally inadequate, according to Malata, who noted that even replacing a single broken window could consume nearly a third of the amount.
Malata warned that the continued underfunding of primary education risks deepening inequality between children in rural public schools and those in private academies.
“When a child sits in a classroom without a science kit, when a junior school learner has never touched a tablet, and when teachers cannot photocopy assessments because stationery funds ran out in Week Three, we are manufacturing inequality,” he said. “We are telling children from poor rural schools that their dreams matter less.”
He further argued that Kenya’s funding model contradicts constitutional guarantees under Article 53 and the Basic Education Act of 2013, both of which provide for free and compulsory basic education.
Malata also referenced UNESCO standards, which require governments to allocate between 15 and 20 percent of public expenditure to education in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Four on quality education.
The education scholar painted a grim picture of the emotional and financial strain facing school administrators and teachers.
According to him, Board of Management teachers at Maira Primary had reportedly gone unpaid for two months, while the school head teacher had borrowed money from shylocks to keep operations running.
“We have seen head teachers hospitalized because of stress. We have buried teachers who died by suicide while carrying salary arrears on their payslips,” he said. “A nation that pays intern teachers Sh17,000 and gives schools Sh188 per child cannot pretend to be shocked by mental breakdowns.”
Malata called on the Ministry of Education to urgently review capitation to at least Sh2,500 per learner per term and ensure funds are released on time.
He also urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to absorb all Board of Management teachers and support staff into permanent employment.
The outspoken scholar further challenged teachers’ unions KNUT and KUPPET to stop what he termed “silence and complacency” and instead mobilize national action to defend public education.
“To all teachers, interns, BOM staff, lecturers, and education stakeholders — your future is tied to this fight,” he said.
He additionally urged Kenyans to hold political leaders accountable in the 2027 General Election for what he described as neglect of the education sector.
“You cannot demand 21st-century CBC outcomes using 19th-century funding,” he said. “Sh188 for 14 weeks is not a budget. It is a burial permit for public primary schools.”
This outcry comes as primary school teachers represented by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) sound the alarm over insufficient and delayed capitation funding, with recent allocations falling to as low as Sh188 per learner, disrupting operations.
Schools cite critical shortages, unpaid bills, and hampered learning programs. KNUT has highlighted that the low funds are hindering the quality of education.
Teachers report that the funds released are insufficient to cover basic school operations, including feeding programs, co-curricular activities, and learning materials.
Schools are facing a cash crunch, with some administrators forced to make tough decisions as the term progresses.