Speaking through the Kenya Association of Private Schools (Kaps), the owners said parents make the decision to send their children to private schools and the schools retain the certificates while they pursue payment of fees.
“It is a choice to go to a public or private school; the options are numerous. Unfortunately, this is a debatable issue. We don’t want to fight the government, but let it be a discussion between the parents and the school,” said Charles Ochome, the association’s chairperson.
Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) National Chairperson Charles Ochome and CEO Rose Eteye during the 28th Annual Conference in Mombasa on April 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation
Last month, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba ordered all schools (private and public) to release all withheld KCPE and KCSE certificates regardless of their fee arrears. The government pays examination fees for candidates in both primary and secondary schools, so the examinations are essentially free for all learners. Only private candidates pay examination fees.
“I keep telling parents who want those certificates to go to the respective private schools and give a plan on how they want to pay. It's only practical that you pay. It’s like staying in a hotel and you want to leave claiming you do not have money to pay,” Mr Ochome said.
Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) officials hold copies of their new constitution during the 28th Annual Conference in Mombasa on April 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation
Private school owners are meeting in Mombasa for their annual conference to discuss pertinent issues in the sector, including the transition from Grade 9 to Grade 10, financial challenges, among others.
Mr Ochome said it was unfair for parents to enrol their children in private schools, fail to pay fees and then seek help from the Ministry of Education to get the certificates.
Last month, Mr Ogamba said withholding the vital documents amounted to illegality. He urged heads of institutions to find other ways of collecting school fees from students.
Charles Ochome, the national chairperson of the Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA), speaks during the 28th Annual Conference in Mombasa on April 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation
According to the CS, the directive to release the certificates is based on the Kenya National Examination Council Act 2012, Section 10 (1b), which states that no certificate shall be held by any institution or person for any reason. The CS gave education officers 14 days to release the certificates to all primary and secondary school leavers.
“If head teachers or principals fail to release the documents, we will get a report and disciplinary action taken against them,” he said last month during the handover ceremony of the former Mama Ngina Girls High School, which has been converted into a vocational training college.
The CS urged the heads of the institutions to find alternative ways of collecting the arrears. Some of the certificates have been held for more than 10 years. However, the owners of the private institutions said that the government's directive was punitive towards private schools.
The Kenya Private Schools Association (KPSA) leadership cut a cake during the 28th Annual Conference in Mombasa on April 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation
Kaps' position is similar to that of secondary school principals, through their Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha), who have criticised the move and described it as unfair.
“It is important to note that the said fees arrears constitute services already rendered and goods already enjoyed by the student but whose burden is unfairly borne by the schools whose financial situation is already constrained,” Kessha chairman Willy Kuria said earlier.
