About 1.4 Million students may be sent home if the government fails to disburse funds allocated to the Education sector for free education.
According to both primary and secondary public school head-teachers, they have been operating on debts and would have to send away candidates if the government does not release Sh3 Billion towards free education by Thursday September 24.
"We are operating on second term balances and by the end of this week we shall have nothing left. In as much as we would want to keep the children in schools, it would not be possible," said a Principal of a national school in Nairobi.
The Principal stated that while the candidates were in school, subordinate staff were also on duty and they required money. "We are even yet to pay last months' salaries and each day the workers look straight into our eyes," said the principal.
Another head-teacher of a county school in Mombasa added that in his school, 67 candidates were present but declared the management would not be able to feed them after the week that followed.
"We feel the plight of these candidates but what happens when we do not have the money? No one is willing to supply food stuff on credit because of the instability in funding," he said.
It is reported that the Treasury had not released the cash to Jogoo House by Wednesday even as Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said he would address the issue soon.
This comes after the Ministry of Education closed all schools only allowing the candidates to remain in preparation for the national exams that are set to begin on October 12.
The union representing teachers however declared that they would not supervise the examinations as the teachers' strike continues.
Even so, Kenya National Examination Council CEO, Joseph Kivilu stated that KNEC had alternative plans in case the teachers' strike affected the examinations.
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