Sabina Chege: Teachers in class matter more than school capitation
By William Muthama, September 17, 2025Nominated Member of Parliament Sabina Chege has raised concerns over the focus on school capitation, saying that having teachers in classrooms is far more important than funding alone.
Speaking during an interview on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Chege addressed President William Ruto’s recent promise to raise school capitation to Ksh 22,000 per secondary student and Ksh 2,200 per primary pupil. She noted that current allocations remain at Ksh15,000 per student, leaving a significant gap.
“When we look at everything else and how we are doing the allocation in the education sector, it is better to have a teacher in class instead of having capitation, and then we don’t have enough teachers,” Chege said, stressing the critical role of staffing in schools.
Budget Challenges
Chege explained that capitation and school funding depend on parliamentary approvals and budget processes. She questioned whether presidential promises can be delivered without legislative support.
“Matters of capitation and allocations to schools are subject to parliamentary processes and the budget-making process,” she said.
“The President appears to be making very casual statements and making promises that probably he is not even able to keep without the support of the National Assembly.”
She also highlighted the need to remove politics from education funding, pointing out that bursaries from NG-CDF, Presidential Bursaries, and county allocations already support schools.
Consolidating these funds, she suggested, could make education financing more reliable.
Chege acknowledged that the government has increased teacher recruitment, with nearly 100,000 new teachers expected by the end of the year.
Sabina’s remarks come after the KUPPET boss explained how the State House visit has unlocked the teachers’ employment puzzle.
She also noted investments in TVET and other educational sectors, emphasising that teacher presence in classrooms ensures students actually benefit from resources.
“Instead of just looking at the cup half empty, we should focus on what we can contribute,” she said, urging stakeholders to prioritise having teachers in schools over purely increasing capitation.