Standoff as parents in Machakos protest against 'illegal' levies

Parents of two schools in Machakos want Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to intervene in illegal levies demanded by the institutions.

This is after learning at Mumbuni Boys and Mumbuni Girls, was interrupted for the past few days following a stand-off between parents and the Boards of Management (BOM). 

On Monday, angry parents of Form Four students of Mumbuni Boys staged protests at the school gate while accompanying their sons back to the institution.

The management was demanding Sh6000 from each of the 1600 students.

Barely two weeks ago, the school had charged the parents a total amount of Sh2.4 million for repairs of window panes smashed by the students in an earlier unrest.

According to a letter dated September 26, 2024, and addressed to parents and guardians, the school BoM claimed the damage caused by the students after the burning of the dormitory amounted to Sh10 million.

“An assessment by the county works officer, gave the cost of damages in Mwangaza dormitory to a tune of Sh10,300,556.40. Each student is required to pay a total of Sh6000. The parents whose sons were housed in Mwangaza dormitory which was destroyed by fire must ensure their sons have requisite boarding items,” the letter signed by the school principal Peter Kilonzo reads in part.

The letter further directed parents of the affected students to specific uniform outlets in Machakos and Mlolongo towns to buy outfits

At the school entrance, the school administration had mobilised a contingent of police officers in full combat gear whose presence triggered protests by the parents and their sons.

Addressing the media at the school entrance, some of the parents faulted the school leadership.

“For the past six months, we have experienced unrest. We have been denied access to information as stakeholders of this school. We are finding it fishy because the Constitution guarantees us the right to information,” one of the parents said.

The parents also demanded to know the use of numerous monies that have been demanded by the school management, yet no audit of accounts has been made public or available to parents as the main sponsors of the school.

"It is important as stakeholders to get an audited report so that we can establish the genesis of the debt that the principal is alleging that he found in the school totalling Sh64 million. We want to know who is being paid these debts because that is the only way we can be convinced that there is transparency in this school,” another angry parent said.

And a stone-throw away at Mumbuni Girls, dozens of parents were treated to a rude shock when the principal, Karen Karuntimi, demanded that all students must pay up to Sh2,000 teachers’ motivation levy before they could be re-admitted back to school.

The students, numbering around 800, were allowed to go home last week upon their request to the school administration. There was no destruction or unrest reported in the institution.

Parents who had accompanied their daughters back to school were forced to return home with their children despite having fully paid term three school fees.

“The school principal has refused to readmit my daughter, yet I have paid all the outstanding fees. They are now demanding the 2000 shillings meant for teachers’ motivation, money that is not available at the moment,” said one of the parents that we cannot name for obvious reasons.

In 2021, the Ministry of Education through a circular outlawed additional levies in schools without prior approval by the Cabinet Secretary.

“Any school that desires to charge amounts above the stipulated fees must make a formal request to the CS and will only charge after written authorization has been granted. No child will be sent away for non-payment of such fees,” the circular reads in part.

However, Mumbuni Boys principal, Mr Kilonzo defended the levies saying they had been computed by an official from the Ministry of Public Works. His counterpart at Mumbuni Girls, Ms Karuntimi declined to comment on the matter.