Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba on Thursday, June 5 confessed that the critical sector is struggling and schools are drowning in debt due to underfunding.

Speaking when he appeared before the National Assembly Education Committee, CS Migos raised concerns about the underfunding, which threatens to affect the quality of education in the country, or even paralyse learning activities in schools.

“As it is, and in view of the provisions of the constitution, it is going to be difficult to offer quality education if we do not get a solution to the continuous and persistent underfunding of the sector,” Migos told the Julius Melly-led committee.

According to the Ministry, only 50% of funds have been disbursed this financial year. In June, being the second month of the second term of 2025, the Ministry disbursed KSh28.8 billion for 3.2 million learners, leaving a deficit of KSh7.2 billion this financial year.

This reality raised concerns of whether education is free in Kenya or not. However, Migos confirmed to the committee that education in Kenya is free.

“On the issue of how free is education, the short answer to that is that education is free in Kenya,” the CS said.

Similarly, Ministry officials revealed that junior secondary schools are underfunded, whereby schools are only receiving half of the KSh15,043 capitation money allocated annually per learner.

This made members of the committee question whether the country will be able to sustain the free education programme.

Public schools in the country are choking in debt, with the Ministry officials telling the MPs that schools over the years have accumulated debts of up to KSh64 billion.

“It is not something I can today say that I will be able to sort out the KSh64 billion pending bill to the schools. In fact, my main challenge is to see whether we can be able to receive in full, first and foremost, what we are entitled to deal with the current students we have,” Migos said.