EDITORIAL: Divert cash from less deserving areas to the more critical capitation budget

The announcement by Treasury boss John Mbadi in which he stated, frankly, that the government is having trouble paying for secondary grants or capitation for each student, has sparked off a heated national debate about budgeting and what everyone considers a priority or a luxury.

The world over, it’s a truism widely embraced that education is one of the strongest weapons against poverty. It’s the one avenue that empowers the poorest of the poor and sets families on the path to improved health and nutrition.

Mbadi faced an immediate backlash from his own government colleagues, who immediately hit the airwaves with declarations that free education was here to stay and that it would never be abandoned.

If anything, the financial headache facing the Treasury in funding free education is a perfect example of political noise flying in the face of hard cold facts.

President William Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza allies have all made public announcements to contradict Mbadi. But it is worth noting that the President has not made announcement as to how he will divert cash from less deserving areas to the more critical capital budget.

We call upon Ruto to reallocate cash to the Ministry of Education so free schooling is not disrupted and parents are not forced to fork out cash.

Quote of the day: “Time and money spent in helping men to do more for themselves is far better than mere giving.” —American industrialist and auto maker Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863