UDA MP Backs Plan to Abolish Free Education, Says It Will Make Parents Responsible
- Baringo Woman Representative Florence Jematiah criticised free education, calling it a cause of poor academic standards
- Treasury CS John Mbadi announced cuts to school capitation and exam subsidies, citing budgetary constraints
- The announcements triggered widespread public backlash and fears over the future of accessible education in Kenya
TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya
It began with Treasury CS John Mbadi and quickly spiralled into a national conversation.
Source: Facebook
Baringo Woman Representative Florence Jematiah has stirred controversy after stating that free education leads to low-quality students and substandard learning outcomes.
Her remarks, made during a radio interview, have sharply divided public opinion and reignited debate over the future of Kenya’s education system.
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She argued that the money being used to fund free education is the same pool needed for national development.
“You are giving free education for primary school, but we are still depending on taxes. Yet these taxes are still part of the development we are going to get as a country,” she said, implying that continued reliance on taxpayer funding for free education could slow progress in other sectors.
Questioning the effectiveness of the current model, she further claimed that free education compromises standards.
“When you give out free education to students, do you get the quality? Because free education is not good,” she remarked.
When asked whether she believed that paid education guarantees better outcomes, Jematiah didn’t hesitate.
“Definitely,” she responded, explaining that while bursaries are offered to help children access school, they often lead to disengaged parenting.
“We give out bursaries to some children who go to school. But you realise that when you give out these bursaries, the parents no longer take responsibility.They don't even know whether their children work hard in school throughout,” she added.
Her comments have since sparked criticism from education advocates and parents, who say the remarks overlook the challenges faced by low-income families.
Is government cutting education funding?
Her comments came shortly after Mbadi announced major cuts to education funding, including a reduction in secondary school capitation and the planned removal of the national exam fee subsidy.
Under the new policy, the capitation for secondary school students has been cut from KSh 22,244 to KSh 16,900 per student—a move that could force schools to pass on additional costs to parents.
Mbadi attributed the cutbacks to rising fiscal pressure, budget deficits, and the need for more sustainable funding structures.
He also raised concerns about the long-term viability of the free primary education programme, introduced in 2003 under former president Mwai Kibaki.
Source: Twitter
How did Kenyans react to government cutting education funding?
The developments have triggered widespread outrage, both offline and on social media platforms.
Kenyans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook to express frustration, accusing the government of abandoning its constitutional duty to provide free and compulsory basic education.
One asked why Kenyans would be asked to pay for public education when corruption and wastage remain unchecked. Others pointed to ghost projects, inflated budgets, and unexplained public spending as the root of the education funding crisis, not a lack of money.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
