Nairobi Leaders Urge Clear Guidelines on School Infrastructure Budgets

On July 31, 2025, Nairobi leaders called for transparent and standardized guidelines on school infrastructure budgets, citing funding disparities and rapid urban enrollment growth.
During a parliamentary sitting on July 31, 2025, Nairobi County Members of Parliament urged the national government to provide clear, equitable, and enforceable guidelines for allocating and managing school infrastructure budgets. The legislators expressed concern over the chronic mismatch between official capitation figures and actual disbursements, especially in densely populated urban areas. While the government has set the official capitation at KSh 22,244 per learner, MPs revealed that many Nairobi schools receive as little as KSh 16,000, due to underreported enrollment and delayed budget adjustments.
The lawmakers emphasized that the lack of standardized infrastructure budgeting has led to stalled construction projects, overcrowded classrooms, and sanitation crises in public schools. They called for the Ministry of Education to issue school-specific infrastructure planning templates, tied to enrollment data and CBC rollout timelines. This would ensure that funds are allocated based on actual needs and that schools in informal settlements are not left behind. The MPs also proposed that Nairobi County be granted a special urban education fund to address the unique challenges of rapid migration and land scarcity.
The call for clarity comes amid ongoing national efforts to improve education infrastructure. President William Ruto, during a January 2025 inspection tour, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding school facilities and bridging equity gaps. However, Nairobi leaders argue that without transparent budgeting frameworks and localized planning authority, even well-funded initiatives risk inefficiency and duplication.
The Ministry of Education is expected to respond with updated circulars and planning tools by the end of 2025. Stakeholders have recommended that these include cost benchmarks, procurement timelines, and community oversight mechanisms to enhance accountability. Nairobi’s education officials have pledged to align their School Improvement Blueprint with any forthcoming national guidelines to ensure consistency and impact.