All bark, no bite as illegal levies thrive under Ogamba's nose

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and his Education counterpart Julius Ogamba are once again on the spot over delayed release of school funds, even as thousands of learners are sent home for failing to clear full fees.

The government’s failure to release money on time has crippled schools, pushing headteachers to not only demand full payment of fees from parents, but also introduce top-ups of illegal levies turning the third term into a financial nightmare for parents.

The Standard has established that institutions across the country are defying ministry directives and sending children home, leaving powerless parents stranded - not knowing what do, or whom to report to.

At Ngaru Girls, for example, learners were ejected when they reopened on Wednesday over demands for development and teacher motivation funds that were not listed on the fee structure.

Parents staged a protest after the school turned away learners over the charges which vary from one parent to another.

“The third term school fees structure indicated that we pay Sh8,500 as total fees for the term, but the school sent a text demanding an extra Sh6,000 for my child,” a parent interviewed during the demonstration said.

A similar crisis is unfolding at St. Joseph’s Boys and Girls High Schools in Kitale, where students were bundled out of classrooms over additional levies tied to first and second term costs, charges which were not in the official fee structure.

Despite repeated warnings by the Ministry of Education and outcry by parents, CS Ogamba has failed to take any action on schools for extra levies.

In January and May, the CS had warned public schools against charging fees beyond the stipulated amounts.

Ministry circular

Ogamba instructed heightened vigilance to ensure no authorised monies are demanded from parents.

The CS said the ministry’s circular on fee structures must be adhered to by all heads of institutions with education officials under instructions to enforce the rules.

“The government is committed to ensuring that no parent is asked to pay for levies that have not been authorised. The circular on payment of fees must be complied with by every head of institution,” the circular released in January stated.

However, the National Parents Association says the institutions continue to demand levies including teacher motivation, money for realm papers, budget support and remedial studies.

In Naivasha Girls, a parent who sought anonymity shared a message where parents have been asked to pay Sh4,000 for tuition and remedial studies.

At Kenya High, a parent interviewed by The Standard also indicated that the myriad of extra charges had pushed the fees from the set Sh53,000 to over Sh70,000.

“Most of the parents in the school can afford the fees charged but what happens to the parents who are not able to raise the extra fees?” a parent asked. 

At Muvuti ABC Girls, the headteacher clashed with parents for demanding both tuition and development fee which, according to the parents, was illegal.

Earlier, students who had not cleared fees had been locked out but after pressure from the parents, the Principal gave in.

The Principal, Ann Maingi, declined to be interviewed with the members of the Press present. 

Silas Obuhatsa, the National Parents Association chairman, blamed the government for failing to implement proper framework on genuine fees payment by letting school heads to exploit them through unlawful charges. 

Education stakeholders lay the blame squarely on the government’s systemic failure to timely and adequately fund schools.

Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) chairman Willy Kuria, said the delayed funding forces headteachers charge extra levies.

“Headteachers are left with no choice but to push the burden to parents through extra charges. When the State refuses to honour its duty, parents are the ones punished,” Kuria said.

Kuria, who is the principal of Muranga High School, challenged Kenyans to demand accountability from the government, warning that without consistency and seriousness, parents and learners will continue to pay the price for political games.

“Kenyans must hold CS Mbadi and CS Ogamba accountable. They cannot keep tossing statements at the public while schools run on fumes. We need consistent, timely funding, not political speeches,” Kuria said.

On Tuesday, Ogamba promised that school capitation would be released by the end of the week. However, by Friday, Kuria said they were yet to receive any money.

“Every term, the two Cabinet Secretaries issue statements assuring schools that funds will be released immediately after reopening. Yet weeks pass without a single shilling,” Kuria told The Standard.

He noted that the education calendar is published in advance making it predictable, yet schools are always in a financial crisis.  

“The school calendar is not a surprise. It is published in advance, before the year starts. How then do the Treasury and the Ministry of Education always claim to be ‘working on it’ at the last minute? This is recklessness at the highest level,” he said.

According to Kuria, the government only acts when schools are on the verge of a shutdown, releasing funds weeks late after unnecessary suffering.

“This has become a dangerous ritual—schools reopen, government pledges funds, then silence. By the time money trickles in, schools are at the brink of collapse,” Kuria lamented.

The uproar from school administrators and parents comes on a backdrop of recent government admission that free education is unsustainable.

In July, Mbadi admitted that the government has been forced to slash the amount sent to schools from the pledged Sh22,244 to Sh16,900 per student.

The shortfalls means capitation, which is the per-child allocation meant for tuition fees, can no longer meet the rising cost of education.

Education stakeholders argue that the government has quietly shifted the burden of financing education to parents.

According to Obuhatsa, the pain for many families goes beyond delayed school funds. He argued that parents are already overwhelmed by the high cost of living, which has stretched their ability to support learners.

“If parents are forced to choose between feeding their children and sending them to school, then we have failed as a society. Education should never be reduced to a privilege only for those who can afford it,” Obuhatsa said.

Free day school

Emmanuel Manyasa, the Executive Director of Usawa Agenda, says the government has not been honest about the financing of education for a long time as the fee guidelines are no longer applicable.

According to the Ministry of Education, national and top extra-county schools are supposed to pay Sh53,000 while that of county schools is set at Sh45,000.

Day schools, also known as sub-county schools, are tuition free - meaning learners in these institutions are ideally supposed to study free of any charges.

“On paper, education is free. In practice, it is funded through the pockets of parents who were promised relief but instead find themselves paying more than ever before. And the burden is heaviest on those who can least afford it,” Manyasa said in an interview.

He warned that unless urgent reforms are made, Kenya risks undoing decades of progress in literacy, equity, and social mobility.

Munyasa believes what is happening is not a temporary cash-flow problem, but a structural failure of the funding model itself.

“When the government fails to keep its promise and schools break the law with impunity, who will protect parents? Who will save them from a system that punishes them for being poor while daring them to dream of a better future for their children?” he posed.