Learners in Igembe North risk missing out on government capitation funds due to lack of birth certificates and parents’ national identity cards required for registration into the government education system.
Education stakeholders raised concern over the issue during an education day held at Linjoka Day Secondary School on Friday, where parents were urged to acquire national identity cards and ensure their children have birth certificates to avoid being locked out of government funding.
Sub-county Education Director Leah Roiko said the Ministry of Education will from Monday begin registering schools into the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS), warning that learners without the required documents will not be captured in the system and may miss government capitation.
Roiko urged parents who do not have national identity cards to register for them immediately and ensure all learners have birth certificates.
“No child will be registered without the requirements and that means they will miss out on the government’s capitation,” she warned.
She noted that schools in the area have continued recording improved academic performance, adding that 390 learners from the subcounty joined university this year.
The Education Director commended the area MP Julius Taitumu for supporting schools through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), saying all schools in Igembe North had benefitted from development projects.
Linjoka Day Secondary School Principal, Dhillon Mugendi, also expressed concern over the lack of birth certificates and parents’ IDs, saying the documents were necessary for registration of learners into the education management system.
He urged parents to cooperate with schools and secure the required documents for their children.
The principal said the school had improved academically, with the number of students joining university increasing from 15 in 2024 to 26 in 2025.
“Education is the key and a country without education is useless,” said Mugendi.
He thanked parents for supporting education and noted that the school had benefitted from increased bursary allocation from the area MP as well as relief food that has helped keep learners in school.
Mugendi said the school was constructing an administration block and appealed for support in establishing a computer laboratory to support Competency Based Education (CBE) and equip learners with technology skills.
He further said the school was growing and required more teachers, while also praising students for excelling in academics and co-curricular activities up to the regional level.
Headteacher Zakary Murungi of Linjoka Primary School said many parents had failed to provide birth certificates, affecting government capitation to schools.
Murungi urged parents to comply with the registration requirements to ensure learners benefit from government funding.
Speaking during the event, Igembe North MP Julius Taitumu said his office would continue supporting education programmes in the constituency and encouraged residents to take advantage of the ongoing national ID registration exercise.
“We will be distributing national IDs to everybody and we urge you to take advantage of the exercise. It is shameful to hear that fully grown parents lack this important document and are making children suffer the consequences,” he said.
The law maker said education remained key to development and assured schools of continued support through bursaries and other education programmes.
Taitumu further noted that 34 schools from arid and nomadic areas had been enlisted into the school feeding programme through his initiative in partnership with the National Council for Nomadic and Arid Areas.
He said the programme was aimed at retaining learners in school by providing food support to institutions in vulnerable areas.
Gregory Kathiong’e, speaking on behalf of sponsors from the Methodist Church, said education was the only way society could achieve meaningful change.
“If you want to change the world, you can only use education,” he said.
By Kamanja Maeria
