The session was part of an ongoing National Assembly retreat themed “Securing Parliamentary Legacy.”
During his grilling, the CS said no proper actuarial analysis has ever been carried out to determine the true cost of education in the country.
“As a country, we don’t know how much it costs to educate a child from Grade One to university. No actuarial analysis has been done to know how much exactly,” Ogamba told the lawmakers.
His statement immediately raised concern among MPs, with many expressing shock that such critical information is missing at the ministry responsible for education.
Lawmakers argued that without knowing the real cost of educating a child, policies on capitation, school fees, and university funding lack a solid foundation.
Ugenya MP David Ochieng’ was particularly vocal, questioning how the ministry arrives at figures for school funding.
He referred to a question raised earlier by Kathiani MP Robert Mbui, saying it covered all the key issues parents and schools struggle with every day.
“The question asked by Kathiani MP Robert Mbui is everything you would want to know about education and school fees, so the minister cannot tell us,” Ochieng’ said. “He doesn’t know how much a kid costs to teach in this country.”
Ochieng’ went further to challenge the logic behind government funding.
“So on what basis do they give capitation in primary and secondary schools, and on what basis are they giving school fees for universities?” he asked.
Other MPs echoed similar concerns, saying the admission exposed serious gaps in planning and policy-making at the ministry.
They argued that parents continue to shoulder heavy education costs while the government itself lacks clear figures to guide support and subsidies.
Some lawmakers said the lack of data could explain frequent complaints from schools about inadequate capitation and from universities about delayed or insufficient funding.
They noted that without proper cost analysis, education institutions are left struggling to balance quality and affordability.
Ogamba’s remarks also revived debate on transparency and accountability in the education sector.
MPs said knowing the full cost of educating a child would help Parliament make informed decisions when approving budgets and reviewing education policies.