The Ministry of Education has dismissed claims that school fees for public secondary and senior schools have been increased, saying the reports are false and misleading.
Education CS Julius Ogamba in a press statement on Wednesday said that there has been no increase in school fees for public secondary or senior schools.
Ogamba was responding to claims that parents were being asked to pay an additional Sh9,374 per learner.
The ministry explained that the figure of Sh9,374 has been widely misunderstood.
It originates from Kenya Gazette Notice No. 1555 of 2015, which initially set out a framework under which parents contributed Sh9,374 per learner in day secondary schools, while the government provided Sh12,870 per learner per year.
However, this framework changed with the full implementation of Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE).
According to the ministry, the government subsequently increased its subsidy to Sh22,244 per learner per year and removed “any financial obligation on parents for tuition,” a position that was formally communicated through later ministry circulars.
These circulars operationalised the Gazette Notice by clearly affirming that tuition in public secondary schools is fully covered by the government. The statement further clarified that FDSE applies to all learners in public secondary schools, including both day scholars and boarders.
It emphasised that “boarding learners only pay approved boarding fees and do not pay tuition fees.”
This clarification was aimed at addressing confusion among parents ahead of school reopening.
On boarding fees, the ministry said the maximum charges remain unchanged.
The Gazette Notice set the boarding fee ceiling at Sh53,554, which was later operationalised through ministry circulars and the FDSE Guidelines issued on November 26, 2019.
These guidelines differentiated boarding fees by school category and location without introducing new charges.
Under the approved framework, boarding schools in major urban centres charge up to Sh53,554, while all other boarding schools charge up to Sh40,535. Special Needs Schools charge Sh12,790.
The ministry stressed that “these amounts have remained unchanged and no school is permitted to exceed them”
The statement also addressed concerns surrounding senior schools and the new cluster system. It clarified that learners in public day secondary schools and C4 day senior schools “pay ZERO fees,” as reflected in official joining instructions currently being accessed by parents.
The transition from the former classification of schools to clusters C1–C4 was described as “purely structural and does not introduce any new fees”
The ministry said it has not issued any directive to County Directors of Education or school principals to increase fees.
It warned that any school charging unauthorised fees would be acting without approval and “will face appropriate administrative and disciplinary action”
Parents, guardians and the public were assured that school fees have not been increased, day scholars pay zero fees and boarding fees remain unchanged.
The ministry urged anyone encountering unauthorised levies to report them for prompt action, reiterating its commitment to enforcing existing legal and policy frameworks.
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