Hon. Joyce Kamene Slams CS Mbadi Over Alleged Diversion of Education Funds

Machakos County Woman Representative Hon. Joyce Kamene Kasimbi has strongly criticized Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi over what she termed as misleading statements and misplaced priorities regarding the government’s education funding.

Speaking to the media after attending a burial ceremony in Mutituni, Hon. Kamene accused CS Mbadi of failing to come clean with Kenyans on the real status of the education budget. She claimed that much of the funding initially allocated for free education appears to have been diverted to what she described as “empowerment-branded government programs.”

“The truth is, education money is being redirected. CS Mbadi knows this, but he doesn’t want to admit it to Kenyans,” she said. “We see a government that is slashing capitation to schools, yet it is able to fund all these so-called empowerment programs. Where is this money coming from?”

Her remarks come days after CS Mbadi revealed to the National Assembly’s Education Committee that secondary school capitation had been reduced from KES 22,244 to KES 16,900 per learner, citing unsustainable public debt and fiscal pressures. The revelations sparked national concern over the fate of free education in Kenya.

Hon. Kamene added that as Members of Parliament, they are growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of transparency and the unexplained financial allocations being pushed through under different guises.

“The government needs to go back to the drawing board and set its priorities right. Education is the backbone of this nation, and it must never be compromised,” she insisted.

The Woman Rep’s sentiments reflect a growing unease among lawmakers and education stakeholders following the government’s admission that only half of Term One capitation had been disbursed, with even co-curricular activity funding slashed drastically.

Her call echoes a wider push from legislators demanding accountability and restoration of full education funding to safeguard the future of Kenyan learners.