Treasury accused of failing to fund ECDEs

The National Treasury has been accused of failing to release funds to the counties to ensure smooth operations of vocational training and early childhood education despite the functions being devolved.

Transition Authority Chairman Kinuthia Wamwangi says that the devolved functions have become unfunctional for the failure by the national government to capacitate counties with funds.

“We have devolved some functions that have become unfunctional in terms of implementation because capitation has become a problem,” he added.

He said Treasury has not yet released funds for ECDEs and Technical, Industrial, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Institutes.

“The money must be released regularly and on a sustainable basis to the counties, otherwise it will be undermining counties on running the functions devolved,” said Wamwangi.

Wamwangi said that so far counties have not received capitation for the last six months.

Education Executive Member’s caucus chairperson Beryl Mutekhere said that the national government stopped funding ECDEs and TIVETs since counties took over.

“Vocational training centers did not take off for the third term because subsidies fees that were used to support students enrolled in youths polytechnics has not been released since January,” she said.

The authority has also dismissed a Bill in Parliament whose enactment will see the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) employ and pay Early Childhood Education teachers.

Wamwangi said that the clause in the Early Childhood Bill before the Senate is unconstitutional and should be deleted.

“Teachers Service Commission cannot take the ECDE function from counties because that is a constitutional function that was given to them by Transition Authority,” he said.

Wamwangi said that passing of the entire bill will be the start of dismantling the devolution a move he noted should be avoided.

He was speaking in Kwale County during an education forum attended by 47 counties education executive members and vocational training