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Joining Civil Society Efforts to Strengthen Education Financing in Kenya
From 16 to 20 February 2026, 10 Kenyan civil society representatives gathered in Machakos County for a training workshop convened by EACHRights to establish and operationalise the National CSO Working Group on the Education Sector’s Budget Engagement, Governance, and Accountability. The initiative sought to strengthen coordinated civil society engagement in education planning, budgeting, and oversight, while building grassroots actors' capacity to influence policy and financing decisions.
The workshop focused on mapping both budget planning and implementation processes to better understand government commitments to education provision. Discussions examined allocation trends at the primary education level, due to the government's obligation to finance free public primary education, in relation to access, quality, inclusivity, and equity. The sessions also explored the government’s broader education priorities through key policy frameworks, including the Medium-Term Plans under Vision 2030 and the National Education Sector Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
The workshop concluded with participants identifying practical mechanisms to collect and document public concerns about education sector governance and to generate evidence-based recommendations for policy and budget advocacy as a follow-up step to help identify capitation, teacher, and infrastructure concerns at the school level.
Another key outcome of the convening was the development and submission of two similar memoranda to the National Assembly of Kenya in response to calls for public input on the 2026 Budget Policy Statement. The memoranda highlighted urgent financing gaps affecting the delivery of quality public education, focusing on three priority areas: capitation, teacher staffing and training, and school infrastructure. These issues were identified as critical entry points that require sustainable, predictable public financing to ensure learners can access inclusive, quality education across the country.
The Budget Policy Statement (BPS) sets the tone for medium-term public financing decisions across sectors. As a key policy document guiding both national and county budget preparation ahead of the July approval cycle, the BPS shapes priorities that directly affect access to quality public education.
Our participation in this process reflects GI-ESCR’s commitment to advancing equitable public financing and strengthening civil society engagement in budget accountability. By supporting coordinated advocacy platforms, we continue to bridge grassroots realities with national policy processes and help safeguard the right to quality, inclusive public education in Kenya.
As the 2026 budget process progresses, we will continue collaborating with members of the working group to ensure that civil society works closely with grassroots movements to shape financing priorities and that education budgets respond to the needs of learners, teachers, and communities across the country.
You can read both submissions here:
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