NAIROBI, Kenya, May 2 – Parliament has initiated a landmark process to consolidate all existing education bursaries and funding streams in a bid to pave the way for free and compulsory basic education in Kenya.
This follows the tabling of a motion to establish an ad-hoc select committee tasked with developing a comprehensive legal and institutional framework to support the unified disbursement of education funds.
The motion was introduced in the National Assembly by Minority Leader Junet Mohamed (Suna East), who underscored the inefficiencies and fragmentation plaguing the current education funding landscape.
“Our children are suffering due to the duplication and fragmentation of bursary and scholarship programs across constituencies, counties, and national institutions. This initiative aims to ensure that education financing is transparent, efficient, and reaches the intended beneficiaries without political or bureaucratic interference,” Mohamed said.
The proposed select committee will be tasked with conducting a detailed situational analysis of existing education funds, both at national and county levels, identifying overlaps, inefficiencies, and gaps in disbursement.
It will also recommend a governance and operational model for a unified National Education Fund and propose legislation to institutionalize the new framework.
“We must put in place a legal and institutional structure that guarantees every Kenyan child access to quality education regardless of their economic background. Free and compulsory education should not just be a constitutional promise, but a lived reality,” Mohamed noted.
The ad-hoc committee once adopted by the house will have a wide range of responsibilities for the committee, including engaging key stakeholders, developing eligibility and disbursement criteria, and recommending accountability mechanisms to ensure proper use of funds.
“We are not just creating another committee. We are laying the foundation for a fairer, more accountable education financing system aligned with Vision 2030 and our constitutional obligations,” the Suna East lawmaker stated.
Lawmarkers have pushed for the amalgamation and consolidation of all funds and bursaries supporting needy students entrenched to arrest an apparrent funding crisis in learning institutions.
The proposed reforms seek to consolidate the Higher Education and Loans Board (HELB) and all funds including scholarships and bursaries issued by Governors and legislators, both national and sub-national.
The ad-hoc committee is expected to present its report to Parliament within 90 days.
MPs nominated to sit in the committee include Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda ,Omboko Milemba(Emuhaya),Mary Emaase (Teso South), Stephen Mule (Matungulu), Elijah Njoroge (Gatundu North), Udgoon Siyyad (Wajir), Obara Eve (Kabondo Kasipul) and Titus Khamala (Lurambi).
Others include Charles Onchoke (Bonchari), Clive Gisairo (Kisii), Daniel Kiili (Matuga), Caroline Ngelechei (Elgeyo Marakwet), Reuben Kiborek (Mogotio), Jane Kagiri (Laikipia), Adan Keynan (Eldas), and Amina Mnyazi (Malindi).
