State gaslights parents as schools run rogue

Education CS Julius Ogamba. [File, Standard]

Parents across the country are bearing the cost of weak enforcement in the education sector, as rogue school heads continue to flout government rules with little fear of punishment.

Despite repeated directives banning illegal levies, forced uniform purchases, and unauthorised fees, many schools continue to impose extra charges on parents, exposing a widening gap between policy and practice.

At the start of every term, school heads reportedly compel parents to buy uniforms from specific suppliers or impose remedial lesson levies, motivation fees, and development levies that have no legal backing.

Similarly, videos have surfaced of continued corporal punishment in schools, in some cases leading to serious harm and, in extreme cases, death, despite a ban on the use of physical punishment in schools.

Parents argue that despite the Ministry of Education issuing warnings and circulars, it has done little to enforce compliance with any of these violations. 

But instead, the Ministry of Education has chosen to ‘gaslight’ parents, blaming and accusing them of enabling abuse by remaining silent.

While addressing the media in January, Education CS Julius Ogamba asked parents to report incidents of bribery and extra levies to the Ministry of Education or other relevant security agencies for action.

The CS spoke after claims that parents were asked to pay bribes of upto Sh150,000 to secure a spot in some of the top senior secondary schools.

Interviews with dozens of parents indicate that complaints spike at the beginning of each term, when schools issue fee demands and requirement lists. 

Yet few cases progress beyond preliminary inquiries, and even fewer result in disciplinary action.

Parents say complaints lodged at sub-county offices rarely result in inspections or sanctions, reinforcing the belief that reporting abuse is pointless.

A parent who spoke to the Standard revealed that an attempt to report the incident of extra levies to the County education offices was not acted upon. Instead, her child faced discrimination after the county official passed the information to the school head.

“It seems like the county officials are colluding with the school principals, making it very hard ever to make any progressive or meaningful action,” Serah Muthoni, a parent, told the Standard.

But the National Parents Association(NPA) Chairman, Silas Obuhatsa, argues that parents put their children first in such cases.

Obuhatsa said parents' fear of victimisation of their children when they report Principals or schools charging extra levies.

“When a parent takes a Principal to court or the police for extra levies or any other misconduct, then all other teachers and members of the school will come after the child as revenge for reporting the principal, so parents will choose to protect their child,” Obuhatsa said.

Obuhatsa further blamed the Ministry of Education for issuing guidelines and circulars but failing to put in place measures to follow up on the enforcement.

“Moving forward, we would wish to see the Ministry of Education copy the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and work with the quality assurance officers to establish those who don’t adhere to the circulars. The problem is that they give circulars but do not follow up,” Obuhatsa said.

The enforcement failure has been worsened by poor coordination between the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). While the ministry sets policy, it lacks the authority to discipline teachers and school heads.

That role has exclusively been bestowed on the Teachers Service Commission.

High Court advocate, Ken Echesa, explains that the Ministry of Education's role is largely limited to policy formulation, oversight, and supervision of learning institutions, leaving enforcement powers in the hands of TSC.

“When misconduct occurs, the ministry can only document complaints and forward them to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), which is mandated by law to employ, investigate, and discipline teachers and school heads. This separation of roles means the ministry cannot suspend, transfer, or punish an offending principal on its own, despite being the funding institution,” Echesa said.

Echesa explains that this arrangement creates delays and weakens accountability. 

Education experts warn that the fragmented system has created an enforcement gap where no single institution feels fully accountable. 

Educationist Janet Ouko Muthoni argues that the disconnect between the ministry and the TSC has enabled rogue school heads to continue exploiting the cracks in the system while parents pay the price.

“This lack of visible action has allowed illegal practices to persist. In some schools, parents say they are denied report forms or access to learning materials until extra charges are paid. Others report being asked to “facilitate” transfers or admissions,” Muthoni said.

Education analysts warn that unchecked exploitation risks deepening inequality, particularly for low-income families. 

“Children from poor households are the most affected, with some sent home repeatedly over unpaid levies despite government policy against exclusion.” 

Parents are now calling for a joint enforcement taskforce between the Ministry of Education and the TSC, alongside protected whistleblower channels and regular public reporting on disciplinary cases.

Obuhatsa has called on the Ministry of Education to include the National Parents Association in the enforcement of the guidelines.