Parents whose children are set to sit the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) this year can breathe a sigh of relief after the government reinstated funding for national examinations.
This comes after the National Assembly’s Education Committee proposed an allocation of Ksh5.9 billion in the 2025/2026 budget to support the administration of national examinations, which had been omitted from the budget estimates.
The proposed allocation would be sourced from the recurrent capitation votes for secondary schools, which had been allocated Ksh3 billion; junior schools, whose allocation stood at Ksh2 billion; and primary schools funding, whose allocation was Ksh900 million.
"Examinations are a critical component of our education system. Without proper funding, the credibility and effectiveness of the assessment process are at risk," said Education Committee Chairperson Julius Melly.
Melly went on to add, "The reason why we had to allocate some amount to the KCSE examinations is because the tests will be done at the end of this year."
Commenting on the matter, Kiharu Member of Parliament, who is also a member of the Finance Committee, accused the government of being inconsiderate and insensitive over its failure to allocate funds for the national examinations.
"It was very insensitive for the government not to allocate money for the examinations. It was even more abhorrent to hear the National Treasury trying to justify the reason for non-budgeting of examinations," Nyoro said.
The changes come two days after Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi confirmed that parents would, from next year, commence paying national examination fees for their children.
Speaking on Saturday, May 24, during an interview on NTV, Mbadi noted that the government's move to shoulder exam fees had become unsustainable due to the rising cost of competing priorities within the education sector.
According to the CS, the government would only pay examination fees for learners who are unable to afford the amount, particularly those from marginalised areas.
"We have to review the cost in the sense of why we should pay for examinations for all students, including those in private schools. We should be subsidising examinations for those who cannot afford them, especially in public schools," Mbadi said.
"However, for this year, it is too late. We are going to process the examination for all candidates, whether you can pay or not," the Finance Minister added.
