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The committee, chaired by Luanda MP Dick Maungu, is examining Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu’s reports for the financial years under review, with the school accounting officers expected to respond to various queries.
A major issue before the committee was accounts receivable amounting to Sh19.9 million. The Auditor-General said the balance had initially lacked a detailed breakdown showing students’ names, admission numbers and outstanding amounts, although the school later provided the information.
The Auditor-General questioned the payment, saying KESSHA is a welfare organisation for school principals and is not recognised within the Government funding system.
MPs on a parliamentary committee scrutinised Auditor-General reports on millions of shillings paid by national secondary schools to KSSHA, raising questions about the legal framework and public accountability for taxpayer-funded contributions. Principals told the committee the payments were intended to support students’ co-curricular activities.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has said the expenditure is irregular because Kessha is a welfare body whose members are school principals. In her view, subscriptions to the association should be paid by the principals themselves from their salaries rather than from funds held by public schools.
The association says that by the second term of 2026, schools had received only 56 per cent of the funds expected for the year, leaving institutions with a funding gap equivalent to 24 per cent of the annual allocation per learner. The government currently provides Sh22,244 per student each year.
The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) says many of the materials being sold as CBE support resources have never undergone official review and approval, despite being aggressively marketed to schools across the country.
According to Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap, the learner formally petitioned the National Assembly seeking legislation that would give students freedom in choosing hairstyles while in school.
The planned promotions come at a time when concerns over delayed career progression have dominated discussions within the teaching profession, with teachers and school administrators calling for more opportunities to move to higher grades.
Under the plan, day secondary school learners would pay Sh7,675 per year. These learners are currently under the Free Day Secondary Education programme, but principals say the funding has steadily declined while operational costs continue to rise
Kessha national chairman Willy Kuria cautioned that many schools were already unable to function effectively.
Third term is expected to be the busiest as candidates gear up for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment, Kenya Junior School Education Assessment, and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education.