On 20 July 2026, GI-ESCR and partners in the National CSO Working Group on Education Sector Budget Engagement, Governance and Accountability co-sponsored an online dissemination of the FY2026/2027 Basic Education Sub-Sector Budget Brief. The event shared evidence on funding shortfalls and transparency gaps with civil society organisations, journalists, school communities, the wider Kenyan public and the government institutions responsible for financing and delivering education. It aimed to strengthen scrutiny of the approved budget and encourage coordinated engagement with its implementation and the development of the FY2027/28 budget.

The dissemination centred on a widening gap between budget promises and delivery. According to the brief, the approved allocations were KSh 4.46 billion below the amount proposed by the State Department for Basic Education and KSh 34.38 billion below the proposal from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). Some of the deepest shortfalls affected primary education, school meals and capitation, areas where inadequate funding has direct consequences for learners, schools and households.

These funding gaps raise concerns about Kenya’s ability to fulfil the constitutional guarantee of free and compulsory basic education. When capitation, school meals and essential facilities are underfunded, parents and schools can be left to cover costs that should be met by the State, with particularly serious effects for learners in marginalised and underserved communities.

The brief also identifies a disconnect between public spending and the realisation of the right to education. The budget contains no clear literacy or numeracy outcome indicators linking expenditure to whether children are learning. This limits the ability of the public and civil society to assess whether education spending is producing meaningful learning outcomes alongside access to schools.

The activity was organised and sponsored by GI-ESCR, EACHRights, The Institute for Social Accountability (TISA), Hakijamii, We Care, Public Policy and Information Technology Consulting Company (PPITECH), Human Dignity and Wellness Centre, Mtoto News, Feminist for Peace, Rights and Justice Centre, Pendekezo Letu and Daraja Civic Initiatives Forum. Their collaboration enabled the findings and recommendations to be presented through a common platform and made available for continued advocacy throughout the fiscal year.