Julius Ogamba, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, has ordered the dissolution of the Board of Management of Alliance Girls High School and recommended disciplinary action against the headteacher, Margaret Njeru, over an alleged illegal fee structure and financial mismanagement at the school.
This comes amid growing scrutiny of illegal fee hikes in public schools, with parents accusing some top schools of imposing unauthorised charges beyond the limits approved by the Ministry.
In two separate letters dated April 29, Mr Ogamba directed the dissolution of the school’s Board of Management and asked the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to take disciplinary action against Ms Njeru.
He said that investigations had established that she had overseen the implementation of unauthorised levies imposed on parents.
“The report recommends the dissolution of the school's Board of Management on account of the foregoing findings. By this letter, you are required to bring the subject report to the attention of the County Education Board for consideration, and to make appropriate recommendations to the undersigned in line with the provisions of the Basic Education Act 2013 and the regulations thereunder. Please take prompt action, noting that time is of the essence,” Mr Ogamba said.
Parents have recently raised concerns about rising unauthorised levies in national schools, accusing some institutions of imposing costs beyond the limits approved by the Ministry.
In a further letter also dated 29 April, Mr Ogamba ordered that an investigative report on Alliance Girls be presented to the County Education Board for consideration and recommendations. This followed the discovery that the school’s Board of Management had approved a 2026 fee structure of Sh120,179 — over twice the government-approved annual fee cap of Sh53,554.
“In view of the foregoing, we recommend that the Teachers Service Commission institutes appropriate disciplinary action against the Principal for her failure to comply with, or ensure compliance with, the provisions of the Basic Education Act 2013, and the resulting government policies and directives. We are at your disposal to provide such action,” said Mr Ogamba.
“The principal facilitated the adoption and implementation of a budget containing non-essential and unrealistic expenditure items, as detailed in the enclosed investigative assessment report,” said Mr Ogamba.
The ministry said that the school board had approved inflated fees through a 2025/26 budget that included 'non-essential and unrealistic expenditure areas' which had significantly increased the financial burden on parents.
Among the expenditures flagged by investigators were Sh1.1 million for moral and spiritual activities, Sh16 million for annual trips, Sh13 million for prize giving and speeches, Sh5 million for prize vouchers, sweets and examiners, and Sh3 million for airtime and administrative allowances.
The report also faulted the board for approving what the ministry described as imprudent spending, including a Sh25 million five-day staff trip to Dubai approved during a board meeting on October 16, 2025.
According to the ministry, school management was tasked with finding a way to bridge a Sh13 million funding gap for the trip, a move investigators cited as evidence of financial mismanagement and failure by the board to exercise prudent oversight.
