Students accompanied by their parents wait to be admitted at Elburgon Secondary School in Nakuru County on January 13, 2025.
Parents whose children are to join senior school say unclear admission requirements could open the door to exploitation by the institutions.
While the Ministry of Education has set the annual boarding fee per learner at Sh53,554, many Kenyans say they are being made to pay more.
A parent whose child will join a Cluster One school in Nairobi said he has been ordered to pay an additional Sh20,000 listed as a Parents Association Fund to cater for the construction ablution blocks and a dining hall.
“Note that the amount is on a separate page from the school fees structure on the seven-page admission letter. This is alongside Sh4,500 per term, which we have been told to pay as development fees,” the parent told High Schooler.
Other Kenyans have expressed concern over admission letters requiring them to buy uniforms bearing school-specific logos without clearly stating approved suppliers or even the correct colour.
They say this could force them to buy uniforms at inflated prices directly from schools.
“This obviously creates an avenue for exploitation,” a parent Kisumu said.
Another who successfully transferred her child from a day school in Homa Bay to a Cluster Two (C2) institution in the same county shared similar concerns.
“Since the admission letter indicates uniforms must bear the school badge, I suspect I’ll have to purchase everything from the school,” she said.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has warned against imposing extra levies.
Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba makes his remarks during the launch of the 2025 National Examination Assessments Season on October 03, 2025, at New Mitihani House.
“School heads and principals are directed to ensure prudent use of the public resources entrusted to their care for the benefit of learners,” Mr Ogamba said in a recent statement.
“They should desist from imposing any extra levies or fees. As a ministry, we will deal firmly with verified cases of misappropriation of resources and the imposition of extra levies or fees.”
The concerns come as learners prepare to transition to senior school, which comprises Grades 10, 11 and 12 and caters for learners aged 15 to 17.
According to the Guidelines for the Implementation of Senior School Education released by the Ministry of Education in October last year, managers of the learning institutions are required to provide clear joining instructions.
This means the discretion for determining the joining requirements for the children rests squarely on the institutions.
These requirements differ from one senior school to another.
Factors like whether a learner is joining a boarding or day school also influence the list of the requirements.
With individual schools issuing their own joining instructions, parents say this creates room for abuse and exploitation.
The Ministry of Education has in the past cautioned schools against turning schools into business enterprises, where parents are compelled to buy school requirements.
Senior school allows learners to specialise in one of three pathways – Arts and Sports Science; Social Sciences; or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), based on their performance, interests, personality and potential career aspirations.
“My child has been paced on the STEM pathway but the school has not asked for anything extra. Perhaps they will do that on the admission day or when he is already in school,” a parent in Marsabit said.
Under the guidelines provided by the government, senior schools are required to orient Grade 10 learners.
This is expected to help the children acclimatise to the school environment, understand expectations and build connections with peers and staff.
