Education CS Ogamba warns schools against charging extra fees
The warning follows reports that, since the resumption of the academic calendar on January 6, 2025, some schools have been demanding additional payments from parents under the guise of development expenditures and miscellaneous expenses.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has issued a stern warning to school officials charging additional fees, stating that the government will take decisive action against administrators found levying unauthorised charges.
Speaking on Thursday at Mtihani House during the release of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results, Ogamba clarified that the Ministry had made no changes to secondary school fee structures and directed parents to retain the amounts paid in the previous academic year.
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"The Ministry of Education has noted with great concern a disturbing trend where some senior schools are reverting to the prohibited practice of charging levies. Let me state clearly that the government will not condone this practice and will take firm action against school administrators who impose extra charges on parents. I must emphasise that the fees charged in our secondary schools remain unchanged from the 2024 structure," Ogamba stated.
The warning follows reports that, since the resumption of the academic calendar on January 6, 2025, some schools have been demanding additional payments from parents under the guise of development expenditures and miscellaneous expenses.
These unauthorised fees have sparked widespread discontent among parents, many of whom are already struggling with the rising cost of living.
"We were accustomed to paying development funds when a child joined Form One, but it has become a yearly expectation. The Ministry of Education must audit schools, especially regarding development fees. Are we genuinely undertaking development projects worth these amounts? We are living in a harsh economic climate, and these fee increments are punitive to both parents and learners," said Jacob Weru, a parent at Leshao Boys, told journalists.
Murang'a Senator Joe Nyutu, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, echoed these concerns, noting that parents across the country are complaining about unwarranted school fee increases.
"The perpetrators of these illegal hikes are issuing them via text messages and WhatsApp groups to evade detection. The Ministry of Education must ensure that all warnings against unauthorised fee increases are strictly enforced," Nyutu said.
The practice of charging extra fees has been prohibited in Kenya since Gazette Notice No. 1555 was issued in March 2015.
The notice instructed school heads to adhere strictly to the authorised fee structure, further directing that approved amounts be divided into 50%, 30%, and 20% portions for the first, second, and third terms, respectively.
