Free education has been a key topic ahead of the August elections [Photo/Tamuka News]
Along with the introduction of free education in Kenya come the need for renovation considering it will attract a lot of new scholars.
Researcher have learned that there are a variety of reasons as to why students drop out of school highlighting that it is mostly financial.
Dr. John Mugo the country coordinator of Uwezo shared with Africa Check that if cost of food and uniforms will not be covered by the government then the policy should be called 'free tuition' instead.
“(But) if that is the case, then we should call that free tuition, because what we are waiving is the fee of being taught,” he said as reported by The Standard.
The key question is what will the new policy cost the Kenyan taxpayer?
Considering that the budget for free secondary education is Sh33.7 billion in the current financial year and is set to increase to Sh39.4 billion within the next financial year.
If this is the case it would mean that over 2.5 million pupils multiplied by approximately Sh22,000 for fees stipulated by the government (exclusive of lunch and uniform) would come to approximately Sh60 billion which is twice the original budget.
The budget excludes renovations and teachers salaries.
Donors may come in to assist but it is highly unlikely it would be enough to cover all the cost.