Azimio leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday issued a list of demands to the government over the disbursement of funds for schools ahead of the scheduled opening day on January 8.
In a statement, Raila directed President William Ruto to address issue of capitation for all public primary and secondary schools before the resumption of learning.
The opposition chief challenged the State to meet financial obligations to schools, including settling pending bills.
"The government must release all the monies owed to schools. It must also release capitation at the approved rate of Ksh22,244 per child for the financial year 2023/2024," Raila demanded.
He insisted that the capitation should be equitable among the schools, and pushed for unions, Parents Teachers' Associations, and school Boards of Management to see it through.
He argued that the denial of full capitation erodes fair and equitable access to education, whose ripple effect is disparity among regions.
In addition, he rallied Ruto to re-evaluate his priorities in the new year, maintaining that education was among the top issues that the government must address.
"How does a government put money on so-called Affordable Housing but refuse to finance the education of our children?" Raila posed.
The ODM leader called upon the religious leaders and civil society organisations to keep the government in check and ensure the State funds education as stipulated in the constitution.
He argued that fully funding schools is the only way to guarantee all children across the country have a fair opportunity at life.
Finally, he directed MPs to prioritise basic and higher education spending.
"Our legislators must embark on active steps to force the government to release public education funding, both at the Primary and secondary levels before schools resume. Money must reach schools ahead of Monday," Raila demanded.
