Schools reel under high cost of living, fees crisis

Kisii School Principal Fred Mogaka picks Stephen Moses Machani a student who scored 378 marks from Ogande primary school in Kisii County from a relative's house in Nyangusu. [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

The skyrocketing cost of food and other essential supplies is posing a challenge to boarding secondary schools, with principals struggling to run the institutions amid fees arrears running into billions of shillings.

A section of principals said they are balancing shortage of resources to maintain learners while, at the same time, obeying the government directive not to send students home for lack of fees.

Principals, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said suppliers have threatened to institute legal action for non-payment of pending bills for supply of goods and services.