Kangema Ngcdf Reduces School Fees

More than 4,000 students in day secondary schools across Kangema Constituency are set to benefit from a new subsidized fees programme that will see parents pay only Sh1,000 per term.

The initiative facilitated by the NGCDF in partnership with the Ministry of Education, will also provide free meals to learners in 20 public day secondary schools.

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Kangema MP Peter Kihungi said the programme was arrived at after extensive consultations with school principals and boards to ease the financial burden on parents.

“We met with the principals and boards of the schools for a while trying to find a way to lessen the fees burden for parents,” Kihungi said during a meeting at Kangema Social Hall.

He confirmed that NG-CDF had set aside funds for the programme which will commence in the second term. The initiative is expected to boost student retention and improve academic performance in the constituency.

The MP noted that some schools had recorded low Grade 10 enrolment, with learners opting to join institutions in neighbouring Kiharu Constituency, where a similar subsidy programme has been running for the past two years.

Last term, learners in Kangema day schools paid only Sh500 per term, attracting students even from neighboring constituencies despite the added cost of transport.

“With this programme, I know learners who had transferred to schools in other areas will come back because education is now affordable,” Kihungi said.

He added that the school feeding programme will be managed by individual school administrations and urged principals to ensure prudent use of resources.

To guarantee continuity, the agreement that was witnessed by local administrators will be held by the Deputy County Commissioner’s office.

“This is a partnership with the school boards and principals. If a principal is transferred, the agreement will ensure that the new teacher continues with the programme without disruptions,” he stated.

Kihungi observed that although academic performance in the constituency had lagged for years, there has been notable improvement, with the area ranking fourth in the 2025 KCSE examinations.

He attributed better performance to enhanced collaboration between teachers and parents, expressing confidence that the new programme will allow learners to focus fully on their studies.

“Now there are no barriers. With only Sh1,000 fee, there’s no reason why a learner should be sent from school. I’m sure we will witness a major improvement,” he said.

The MP also urged parents to support their children and maintain discipline, while encouraging those struggling with boarding school fees to consider transferring learners to day schools.

“Day schools have been performing very well lately, so there’s not much difference with those in boarding schools. Don’t overstrain yourself financially when some relief has been provided in day schools,” he advised.

Joseph Wachira, principal of Iyego Secondary School and chairperson of the Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association in the sub-county, said the programme would address persistent challenges faced by schools.

“From second term, learners who had dropped out will rejoin school and 100 percent transition will be attained,” he said, noting that parents previously paid between Sh13,000 and Sh18,000 annually in fees.

Wachira added that consistent school attendance would allow teachers to cover the syllabus on time, eliminating the need to repeat lessons.

“Even discipline will improve because when learners are sent home for fees, some start idling in shopping centres and end up picking immoral behaviours,” he said.

Kangema Deputy County Commissioner Esther Mwamure welcomed the initiative, saying it would ease the work of administrators who have been struggling to ensure full enrolment in Grade 10.

“Our work has been made easier. My challenge to parents is to use the extra money to register for SHA and improve their livelihoods,” she said.