Parents shoulder rising school fees

Parents and students during Grade 10 admission at Kisumu Day and Boarding High School. [Michael Mute, Standard] 

Education is not free in Kenya after all.

Despite government promises to ease the burden on parents, The Standard has established that from purchasing school uniforms, paying fees, and even securing admission slots, parents are shouldering an increasing load.

MPs, expected to appropriate funds and hold the Education ministry accountable, appear lax, further pushing parents to the edge. Weak structures within the ministry, meant to shield parents from unlawful and unnecessary levies, are also ineffective, leaving families to fend for themselves.

At stake is the future of learners, increasingly treated as guinea pigs in the trial-and-error rollout of Competency-Based Education (CBE), with outcomes still unclear. Twenty-two years after the introduction of free primary education, and more than a decade since the Constitution guaranteed free basic education, parents continue to grapple with rising schooling costs.

The admission of the first Grade 10 cohort into senior secondary schools has exposed the true cost of the State’s promise, with parents reporting extra charges, including bribery to secure admission slots. Many were compelled to buy uniforms, bedding and other essentials from school-approved suppliers at inflated prices.

Families also shoulder additional costs for motivation fees, infrastructure support and development levies imposed above official guidelines, despite the government having abolished tuition fees years ago. These mounting expenses highlight the widening gap between policy and practice, even as the State insists basic education remains free under the Constitution.

In secondary schools, families also bear additional tuition-related costs, motivation fees, infrastructure support, and development levies imposed above official fee guidelines, despite the government abolishing tuition fees years ago. The mounting costs have exposed the widening gap between policy and practice, even as the government maintains that basic education remains free under the Constitution.

Parents blame school heads for imposing unauthorised charges, while administrators argue that government capitation is insufficient to run schools. The Ministry of Education, in turn, points to inadequate funding from the Treasury and Parliament—entrenching a vicious cycle that now threatens the sustainability of free education.

The rollout of CBE has worsened the crisis, with many Grade 10 learners yet to report due to unpaid fees, lack of uniforms, and other essentials.

President William Ruto ordered senior secondary schools to admit all learners immediately, without turning away students over fees or uniforms.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba instructed principals to allow learners without senior school uniforms to report in junior school uniforms and directed that no admission fees be charged in public schools. Principals were told to optimise disbursed capitation funds while allowing parents flexibility for household contributions.

Yet, the situation has reignited debate over whether education in Kenya is truly free or merely subsidised, as parents bridge widening funding gaps. Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) chairman Willy Kuria calls free secondary education a pipe dream.

While the official capitation rate was Sh22,244 per student under FDSE, actual disbursements often fall short. By mid-2025, the Treasury reduced capitation to Sh16,900 per student. Kuria noted, “Schools in the last ten years have never received Sh22,244. The highest is Sh17,000. How are school heads expected to manage the deficit?”

Experts argue capitation is insufficient and often delayed, forcing schools to pass costs to families. “Capitation is pocket money. Asking parents to pay Sh20,000–Sh30,000 for development effectively locks out children from poor households,” said policy analyst Janet Ouko.

The shortfall has led to extra levies, despite a High Court ruling declaring such charges illegal unless approved by the Cabinet Secretary. National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa said weak enforcement allows schools to continue collecting fees under different names.

Deeper problems, including corruption and politicisation, have also undermined free education. Emmanuel Manyasa of Usawa Agenda noted 50,000 “ghost students” siphoned capitation funds, with no accountability. He called for bursary consolidation under the Education Ministry.

Ouko advocates school mergers, better teacher deployment, improved infrastructure, and funding reforms. Boarding school dominance complicates access, prompting economist Dr Cleophas Muria to urge investment in well-resourced day schools, citing international models.