Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has intensified pressure on the government over what he described as a covert plan to raise school fees for day secondary schools, warning that the move threatens to reverse hard-won gains in access to public education and place an even heavier burden on already strained households.
Mr Nyoro alleges that the Ministry of Education has approved a Sh9,374 increase in annual fees for day scholars, to take effect from January 2026. He said the adjustment, already reflected in school fee structures, would push the cost of day secondary education from about Sh12,000 to roughly Sh22,000 per year.
According to Mr Nyoro, the increase is directly linked to a reduction in government capitation to public schools, forcing administrators to pass the shortfall on to parents. He accused the government of eroding the spirit of free primary and subsidised secondary education through what he termed back-door policy changes.
“We are not going to allow the gains of free primary education to be erased by a government that has an appetite for money,” he said, adding that the policy contradicted repeated public assurances from government officials that there is no increase in school fees.
The legislator claimed that school principals had received a circular instructing them to revise their fee structures, with an annexed gazette notice dated March 10, 2015. He questioned why an old gazette notice was being used to justify new fees, arguing that the approach pointed to a lack of transparency.
“They speak one language in press conferences and another through official circulars,” Mr. Nyoro said.
“If they truly believe there is no fee increase, let them issue a fresh circular withdrawing the directive.”
Ministry: There's no increase in school fees
The Ministry of Education, however, has flatly rejected the claims.
In a statement, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said the government had not authorised any increase in school fees for secondary school learners, now referred to as senior schools.
“As we have clarified previously, there has been no increase in the school fees payable by secondary school learners,” Mr Ogamba said.
“The position remains that the government will continue supporting free day senior school learners to the extent of Sh22,244 per learner per year. The government has not authorised the imposition of any additional fees.”
Mr Ogamba added that the same position applies to boarding schools, noting that the ministry issued a press statement on November 6, 2025, affirming that fees payable remain unchanged.
Mr Nyoro claimed that principals, in turn, had sought guidance from education directors, who advised them to implement what was contained in the circular. As a result, he argued, all day secondary schools have already prepared new fee structures that reflect the Sh9,374 increase, even as senior officials publicly deny it.
He also warned that the government was dangerously unprepared for the transition to Grade 10 under the Competency-Based Curriculum, with admissions ongoing and schools set to reopen in the coming days.
“This is not a normal school year,” he said.
“We are moving into a new system, but there has been no serious preparation.”
He warned that without urgent intervention, schools would be forced to improvise, potentially compromising the quality of education offered to the first cohort of Grade 10 learners. He also cautioned that the financial pressure created by higher fees could push vulnerable students out of school altogether.
Mr Nyoro said he had raised the matter with government officials but claimed that no one was willing to take responsibility for the proposed fee increase.
“Now that January is here, they are exposed, and they are embarrassed.”
