Government to take action against school principals found charging extra fees

Education CS, Julius Ogamba photo; Julius Ogamba/X

In a statement on Thursday, January 9, 2025, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba expressed concern regarding the rise in prohibited practices among certain high school administrators. He emphasized that the government will take action against principals who violate ministry orders by charging additional school fees.

The Ministry of Education issued a strong warning to secondary school principals regarding these extra charges. Ogamba also instructed parents to keep records of the fees paid in the previous academic year, noting that there have been no changes to the secondary school fee structure.

“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 the government will take stern action against school administrators who are found to be levying extra charges on parents. I must emphasize that the fees charged in our secondary schools remain the same as was the case in 2024,” CS Ogamba said

In Gazette Notice No. 1555, issued in March 2015, the government prohibited the imposition of additional school fees in Kenya. The notice mandated that all secondary school heads strictly comply with the authorized fee structure, directing that the approved amounts be allocated in proportions of 50%, 30%, and 20% for the first, second, and third terms, respectively.

In 2024, the Ministry of Education released several guidelines regarding school fees, emphasizing free tuition in public schools under basic education, which stipulates that public schools are not permitted to charge tuition fees for students or for capitation. The government has set the capitation at Ksh17,000 per learner per year.

By Hussein Waiyaki