CS Ogamba reveals reason behind stalled school upgrade projects
By William Muthama, August 4, 2025
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has blamed delays in the implementation of critical school infrastructure projects on disruptions caused by the Finance Bill 2024.
Speaking during a visit to Limbine Primary School in Tigania West, Meru County, on Monday, August 4, 2025, Ogamba said that the government’s ambitious education reforms were temporarily slowed down due to the national demonstrations sparked by the controversial bill.
Ogamba noted that over the past two years, there had been no infrastructure development allocation in the education budget, directly linking the gap to the political unrest surrounding the Bill’s passage “Infrastructure development from the ministry was not sufficient,” he said.
“Last year and the previous one, there wasn’t a component of infrastructure development because of issues relating to the Finance Bill, and you are aware of that,”he said .
CBC support renewed
Despite the setbacks, the ministry has now secured Ksh1.3 billion to resume school infrastructure improvements, prioritising the most needy institutions.
Ogamba affirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring full implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) by 2029, with an initial Ksh1.4 billion already set aside to support the transition.
During his address, he highlighted plans to upgrade classrooms, build fully equipped science and ICT labs, and construct a new administration block at Limbine Primary. The renovations are supported by the Citizens of the Future programme, an initiative aimed at enhancing learning environments for CBC implementation.
Cash boost for learners
Ogamba also used the occasion to outline key milestones in the education reform agenda, including the rollout of the first Grade 9 assessments later this year, ahead of the January 2026 transition to senior school.
He said the government will recruit 24,000 new teachers, provide one textbook per learner, and allocate Ksh950 million for senior school teacher retooling.
On higher education, the CS announced a Ksh. 5 billion increase in HELB funding, bringing the total to Ksh41 billion. He confirmed that 200,000 first-year university students and 237,000 TVET learners will benefit from this boost.
The Universities Fund has also grown to Ksh16.9 billion as part of the government’s drive to promote equitable access to education.
“We are working to ensure access and equity for all learners,” Ogamba said.