The budget for Kenya’s Ministry of Education is set to decrease, despite a continued rise in student enrollment across educational institutions, as outlined in the 2025 Economic Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
According to the report, the government’s total spending on education and training is projected to fall from Sh601.5 billion in the 2023/24 fiscal year to Sh594.2 billion in 2024/25. Recurrent expenditures, primarily for salaries and operational costs, are expected to decrease by 1.7% to Sh566.1 billion. Conversely, development expenditures are anticipated to increase by 9.8% to Sh28.1 billion.
The report states, “Total expenditure for the education sector is expected to decline from Sh601.5 billion in 2023/24 to Sh594.2 billion in 2024/25. Total recurrent expenditure is expected to decrease by 1.7% to Sh566.1 billion in 2024/25, which will account for 95.3% of the total education sector expenditure.”
It also highlights a mixed outlook for various departments within the sector regarding development budget adjustments. The Teachers Service Commission’s development budget is projected to rise from Sh334.7 billion to Sh346.8 billion. The report notes, “Recurrent expenditure for the Teachers Service Commission is expected to increase by 3.6% to Sh346.8 billion in 2024/25, representing 61.3% of the recurrent expenditure for the education sector.”
Basic Education is set to receive Sh115.9 billion, reflecting a 7.1% increase from the previous fiscal year, and making up 74.6% of the sector’s total development budget. In contrast, the State Department for Vocational and Technical Training is facing an 8.5% cut, with funding dropping to Sh23.1 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.
Despite these budgetary changes, the education sector has seen significant growth in both infrastructure and student enrollment. The number of basic learning institutions surged by 38.8% to 129,463 in 2024, largely due to the addition of junior schools, which now account for nearly a quarter of all such institutions.
The number of pre-primary schools increased by 1.8% to 47,760, while primary schools grew by 9.6% to 38,997. The number of secondary schools saw a slight rise to 10,755. “TVET institutions grew by 6.9% to 2,756 in 2024, partly due to an increase in accredited vocational training centers. The total number of universities rose from 70 in 2023 to 72 in 2024 following the awarding of charters to the National Intelligence Research University and Tangaza University,” the report stated.
Enrollment trends reflected this infrastructure growth. Pre-primary enrollment increased from 2.89 million to 2.91 million learners. Enrollment in primary and junior schools rose by 3.2% to 10.73 million, while secondary school enrollment grew by 5.2% to 4.32 million. TVET enrollment also saw a significant increase of 10.4%, reaching 709,885 students.
University enrollment is expected to rise from 579,000 in 2023/24 to 629,100 in 2024/25. Additionally, the number of candidates registered for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education increased by 6.9% to 965,172. The number of Grade 6 learners registered for the KPSEA assessment grew by 2.5% to 1.31 million, with those sitting for the exam increasing by 5.5%.
However, the number of teachers in public primary schools decreased by 3.2% to 212,602, attributed to factors such as retirement, disciplinary actions, study leave, and natural attrition. In contrast, the number of teachers in public secondary schools and teacher training colleges rose to 130,818, up from 125,563 the previous year.
In terms of funding, the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) significantly increased support for university students, with loans rising by 59.5% to Sh46.9 billion. Funding under the New Funding Model increased from Sh17.9 billion in 2023/24 to Sh20.9 billion in 2024/25. However, allocations to universities through the Universities Fund dropped sharply from Sh30.0 billion to Sh12.9 billion.
“The figures are decreasing because we used to allocate tuition fees directly to universities, but this is changing. The new model provides funds directly to students,” explained KNBS Director General McDonald Obudho during the report’s launch.
Obudho also addressed related national statistics, noting that the health sector received increased funding for counties, although only 44.8% of births were registered in 2024, indicating significant gaps in civil registration. He further pointed out improvements in national security, with a decrease in reported crime cases, but expressed concern over the declining police-to-population ratio, which now stands at one officer for every 512 people.