Igembe north: Learners in Igembe North risk missing out on government capitation funds due to the 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, where parents were urged to acquire national identity cards and ensure their children have birth certificates to avoid being locked out of government funding.
According to Kenya News Agency, Sub-county Education Director Leah Roiko stated that the Ministry of Education will begin registering schools into the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) starting Monday. She warned 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 immediately and ensure all learners have birth certificates.
Roiko highlighted that no child will be registered without the necessary documents, which means they will miss out on the government’s capitation. She noted that schools in the area have continued recording improved academic performance, with 390 learners from the subcounty joining university this year. The Education Director commended 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, expressed concern over the lack of birth certificates and parents’ IDs, emphasizing the importance of these documents for registration into the education management system. He urged parents to cooperate with schools and secure the required documents for their children. Mugendi also highlighted the school’s academic improvements, with the number of students joining university increasing from 15 in 2024 to 26 in 2025.
Principal Mugendi 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. He mentioned that 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. Mugendi further stated that the school was growing and required more teachers while praising students for excelling in academics and co-curricular activities up to the regional level.
Headteacher Zakary Murungi of Linjoka Primary School highlighted that 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.
During the event, Igembe North MP Julius Taitumu assured continued support for education programmes in the constituency and encouraged residents to take advantage of the ongoing national ID registration exercise. Taitumu expressed disappointment over parents lacking important documents and emphasized the importance of education for development. He 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, aimed at retaining learners in school by providing food support.
Gregory Kathiong’e, representing sponsors from the Methodist Church, reiterated the importance of education in achieving societal change, stating that education is the only way to change the world.
