Government gag schools on extra levies

The Ministry of Education has capped school fees in C1 to Sh53,554, while those in C2 and C3 are capped at Sh40,385.

In a Gazette notice dated February 6, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba reaffirmed that fees payable by learners in senior schools remain unchanged and directed school heads to desist from imposing any additional levies beyond the gazetted fees.

The CS said the directive is anchored in Article 53 of the Constitution, which guarantees every child the right to free and compulsory basic education.

Under a Gazette notice dated January 6, 2026, the government directed that students in day senior schools should not pay any fees, with tuition fully covered by a capitation of Sh22,244 per learner per year. The capitation is broken down into tuition (Sh4,144), activity fees (Sh1,500), medical insurance (Sh2,000), SMASSE (Sh200), other overheads (Sh9,400), and maintenance (Sh5,000).

For boarding senior schools in Cluster C1, parents are expected to pay Sh53,554 per year, while those in Clusters C2 and C3 will pay Sh40,385. Special needs schools will receive Sh57,974 per learner, with households contributing Sh12,790 for boarding and maintenance.

CS Ogamba said schools must spread the fees across three terms in a 50:30:20 ratio and warned that no public school should charge tuition or any extra fees.

“To ensure clarity on the financing framework for senior schools, the Ministry has issued a circular dated January 2, 2026. School heads and principals are directed to ensure prudent use of these public resources and to desist from imposing any extra levies. We will deal firmly with any verified cases of misappropriation or illegal fees,” Ogamba said.

However, principals argue that while the policy may appear progressive on paper, it ignores the economic realities facing schools. The administrators across the country have raised alarm over the government’s decision to bar public schools from charging extra levies, warning that the move could cripple learning due to rising operational costs and inadequate funding.

A principal from a national school in Kiambu said inflation and the high cost of living have eroded the value of both fees and government capitation, making it difficult to sustain teaching and learning.

“The government is trying to control fee payment in schools, which is not workable. Things have changed, but the government has closed its eyes and ears to the reality of life,” he said.

He noted that utilities, food prices, learning materials, repairs, and general school maintenance have all increased sharply, yet fees were last reviewed in 2015.

“It has been ten years. You cannot run a modern school on a 2015 budget in a 2026 economy,” he added.

Another principal from Murang’a highlighted challenges posed by the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), especially the rollout of Grade 10 and the new senior school pathways.

“The government has given us learners for Grade 10 without trained teachers to deliver the new pathways. We are forced to hire teachers competent in technical areas on Board of Management (BOM) terms, and this means extra cost,” she said.

According to her, schools are struggling to attract skilled instructors in technical and vocational subjects because they must pay competitive wages, yet the government capitation does not factor in these additional staffing needs.

The Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) has echoed these concerns, warning that strict enforcement of the no-levy policy could paralyse school operations.

KESSHA chairman Willie Kuria said gazetting the fee structure without allowing flexibility gives the false impression that education is fully affordable, while shifting the burden quietly onto school administrators.

“The government, by gazetting the fee structure, means they do not want anything in addition—no extra levies in schools—to show education costs are affordable in the country,” Kuria said.

He added that the policy fails to account for the steady rise in the cost of food, fuel, teaching materials, and services.

“The fees were fixed in 2015, ten years ago. Boarding and running costs have gone up. The government is shooting itself in the foot. How do you cap school fees when you are not providing enough funds to schools?” he posed.

School heads insist the figures do not match reality on the ground.

“This is practical on paper only,” said a principal from Nyanza. “The government wants to show that education in the country is free and affordable, when things are not actually that.”

Principals are now calling for structured engagement with the Ministry of Education to review fees and capitation in line with inflation, staffing demands, and the expanded CBC curriculum.