Hon. Oku Kaunya, MP has directed the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Hon. Ezekiel Machogu to provide information on the amount of public funds channeled towards the construction of classrooms in junior secondary schools countrywide. 

"The Kenyan government has spent Ksh 7.6 billion to construct 9,721 classrooms in secondary schools across the country. The move aims to reduce congestion in these institutions, which has been a significant challenge in the education sector,  " said the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Hon. Ezekiel Machogu, in response to the query during the National Assembly Plenary Question Time.

According to Hon. Machogu, the classrooms were built to address a deficit as of December  2020 of  2,633 classrooms in secondary schools, as reported by the a Taskforce on Equity.

Members of the National Assembly were further informed that by December 2021, enrollment in secondary schools had increased to 3,523,428 learners, and by December 2022, it had grown to 3,526,197 learners.

 "Presently, the enrollment stands at 3,690,376 learners. As a result, an additional 9,028 classrooms are required to meet the ever-growing demand, said Education Cabinet Secretary.

Lawmakers' raised alarm regarding the current domiciling of Junior secondary schools in primary schools as a temporary arrangement or whether learners will be relocated to the premises of secondary schools. 

Members of Parliament asked further supplementary questions regarding the timelines the Ministry of Education has to ensure pupils get to use the facilities, the lack of JSS classrooms in various constituencies and the status of employment of JSS teachers across the country.

However, the Cabinet Secretary did not provide a direct answer but assured the House that the matter was being addressed.