The government has assured parents that school fees will remain unchanged as the country prepares for the first full transition of learners into senior school under the competency-based education (CBE), despite earlier concerns over potential fee increases.
Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba on Thursday clarified that reclassification of schools into clusters does not affect the cost of education.
“The government will continue to provide capitation at the approved rate of Sh22, 244 per learner per year in senior school. At the same time, we wish to emphasise for the avoidance of doubt that there has been no revision of boarding fees, or any other fees, payable for learners in senior school,” said Mr Ogamba.
Education Ministry releases KJSEA results
This comes after the Ministry of Education issued guidelines for transition to senior school, which contained information that all boarding schools — national, extra-county, and county — will charge uniform fees as the country transitions to the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system. The document referenced a 2015 circular, when parents used to pay higher fees before funding for tuition fees was increased in 2018.
The directive would have been a major shift from the current system, where fees vary by school category. Under the new framework, all schools will be mapped, re-registered, and renamed based on the pathways they are prepared to offer — Arts and Sports Science, Social Sciences, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM,) ensuring learners pursue studies aligned with their skills and interests while ending the one-size-fits-all model of the 8-4-4 era.
“The school fees remain the same as it has always been. We have not changed it. There is no change; Alliance School is still Alliance High School, whether we call it category one or a national school. The fact that we have changed the name does not change the fees,” the CS said.
The guidelines, issued in October 2025, outline how the country will transition learners into senior school beginning next year, marking the final phase of the 2-6-6-3 system. The Ministry says the move to standardise fees across boarding schools is intended to promote equity and ensure that no learner is locked out due to financial disparities.
Education PS Julius Bitok, CS Julius Migos and KNEC CEO David Njegere at the media briefing on the release of the 2025 Kenya Junior Schools Education Assessment results at Mitihani House.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation
Basic Education Principal Secretary Prof Julius Bitok underscored that the placement process for the 1.13 million learners who sat the 2025 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) is already underway, with all candidates having selected their preferred schools earlier in the year.
To ensure fairness, Prof Bitok pointed out that the Ministry has adopted the Commission on Revenue Allocation formula to distribute learners across the four categories of senior schools: Cluster 1, Cluster 2, Cluster 3, and Cluster 4.
“For us to be able to place the students equitably, we have adopted the CRF formula of revenue allocation to be able to distribute as fairly as possible students from across all counties in all four categories of school," Prof Bitok explained.
"As you are aware, the formula takes care of the population, the size, poverty and other components. We have adopted the formula so that we are as fair as possible, such that a child in Northern Kenya or Western Kenya can get an opportunity to get a school in Nairobi or any other county."
The PS noted that all learners are expected to know their senior school placement by the end of next week, after which the MoE will open a five-day revision window.
“By next week, all students will know where they have been placed, and we will have a five-day window for revisions, similar to the way KUCCPS allows university students to adjust their choices. The process will be seamless,” Bitok said.
He added that the government anticipates a 100 percent transition, pointing out that the country currently has sufficient capacity. Every learner is expected to know their Senior School by Christmas, ahead of reporting on January 12.
“Our expectation is that every child moves to the next level. We have 1.1 million learners and 1.5 million senior school positions, leaving 400,000 extra spaces,” he said.
“We are confident that by Christmas, all learners will know their Senior School, and by January 12, they will report to school.”
