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{
"id": 1380653,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1380653/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Ezekiel Machogu",
"speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Education",
"speaker": {
"id": 13458,
"legal_name": "Ezekiel Machogu Ombaki",
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"content": "institutions with an enrolment of 1,593 learners. We also have 66 pre-vocational special needs education institutions with a total enrolment of 952 learners. As the Member has rightly put it, each learner with special needs at the primary school level receives an allocation of Ksh1,420 as capitation. Each learner is then given Ksh2,300 under the Free Primary Education Programme as a top-up for specialised learning materials and assistive devices. This amount is intended to enable schools to procure specialised learning resources, assistive devices and technologies for learners with special needs and disabilities. We have established that a certain amount of money was given to those schools. Unfortunately, many were not buying the assistive devices and learning materials as they were supposed to. The money was diverted or allocated to other uses. Therefore, if you visit a number of special needs schools, you will find that there are no assistive devices. Therefore, the quality of education in those schools is wanting. We had a similar problem in the past with the procurement of textbooks. Schools would be given money to procure textbooks, but they would not do it. When the centralised system of procuring textbooks came into being, we could now attain a 1:1 ratio as far as procurement of textbooks is concerned. In 2023, we agreed to have a centralised system of procuring learning materials and assistive devices through the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), and then supply the devices to the respective schools. This might work out better for accountability and reduced costs because we procure significant volumes. We did that last year, and I have a breakdown of how we distributed the specialised materials to all institutions based on the criterion adopted. In the Financial Year 2022/2023, out of the total allocation of Ksh334,562,600 as Free Primary Education top-up grants, the Ministry disbursed 50 per cent of this amount, being Ksh167,281,300 to KISE, and sent the remainder to schools. In the Financial Year 2023/2024, the Ministry has sent Ksh135,199,750 to schools, being 50 per cent of the total allocation. The amount due to the KISE has not been disbursed yet, as we have not procured materials and devices because of Exchequer delays. We hope that as the financial year progresses, we will get the money in the near future to purchase materials and disburse them. The amount of money allocated to secondary special needs education institutions is higher than that given to primary schools. The capitation is Ksh35,750 per learner. Ksh200 million has been provided in this financial year, translating to Ksh28,313 per learner. The total deficit for which we seek your intervention is Ksh52,393,688. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the next Question touches on the capitation we receive for primary, junior and secondary schools. This is because the figure is progressively decreasing because of the amount of money allocated to the Ministry by Parliament. Therefore, we are unable to sustain the figure as fixed. I submit, Hon. Deputy Speaker."
}