School bus: The unnecessary status symbol for middle class
Xn Iraki
By
XN Iraki
| Feb 25, 2026
When the then Cabinet Secretary for Education Dr Fred Matang’i directed that all school buses be painted yellow, the order deprived schools of their identity.
It was like our constitution had borrowed an idea from the US, where school buses have a colour close to yellow. The difference ends there. School buses in the US are owned by school districts or outsourced.
This allows pooling, which significantly reduces costs. Why should each school own a school bus? When did a school bus become a status symbol? Why can’t a consortium of schools own the buses?
The one-colour buses were a bonanza for economists. We can easily define the economic status of an estate by the number of school buses that drop off and pick up students.
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Affluent suburbs or residencies are a fishing ground for schools and their buses.
The more affluent the suburb is, the more school buses are available. Take note of how the schools have followed the money to Kiambu road?
How did Muthaiga escape high-end schools? Are we building schools within the new high-rise buildings?
The main target of private schools and school buses seems to be the middle class. Upper-class parents can afford private transport.
Pay a premium
Taking children to private schools by bus is popular with middle-class parents, as it takes a heavy burden off them as they focus on their own transport or work.
School transport is not cheap, but many parents are willing to pay the “convenience premium.”
Most parents are willing to pay a premium to take their children to good schools as defined by reputation or exam results. The school buses make it easier. With ranking muted, a new measure of school success is transitioning to university.
Beyond average income, an easier way to define the economic status of your residence is the number of school buses that pick up and drop off children. Want to share the count in your estate?
We can debate whether busing students perpetuates economic segregation and denies us social cohesion. It’s one issue Competence-Based Education (CBE) is yet to address. Yet in other countries, education enhances cohesion as the poor and the rich mix in class.
The best model is Canada and Germany. It’s a question I have asked privately why one can go through school in Kenya without mzungu or Asian classmates, despite meeting them in shopping malls.
Kenya’s multiracialism is not reflected in our classrooms. Kenya’s most multiethnic and multiracial locations are shopping malls and supermarkets. They should be schools.
How can we make our schools melting pots? Over to the architects of CBE.