AI generated/“Dear Parent/Guardian, kindly note that no learner will be allowed to report back to school unless all the fees and all required items are fully cleared.”
“Without meeting all these requirements, your child will be sent back home as others begin their opener exams.”
This is a message millions of parents and guardians across the country have received as schools re-open for the third term.
It comes as thousands of Kenyan parents struggle to raise school fees and buy learning materials as schools reopen, exposing the growing pressure that education costs are placing on households already battling a high cost of living.
For many families, the return to school has come with fresh demands for fees, uniforms, books, transport and other requirements at a time when food, rent and transport costs continue to consume a larger share of household incomes.
While official census and demographic datasets track the exact number of school-going children rather than a consolidated count of individual parents, data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and the national census indicates there are roughly seven to nine million households or parents with school-going children.
Parents who spoke to the Star said they were struggling to meet the demands, with some yet to make any payment despite the reopening of schools.
“I have not paid anything and I don’t see doing it until the second week of September,” said Victor Ochieng’ a parent who said he is struggling with a pay cut and salary delays.
Douglas Mokaya, a boda boda opetratior said: "I am really struggling, I don't know how my children will go back to school at the moment."
The financial strain is being compounded by rising education costs. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows education costs rose by 18.3 per cent over a recent 12-month period, significantly above the general inflation rate.
Kenya’s annual inflation rate stood at 6.5 per cent in July, with food and transport among the major drivers of the increase.
For families with children in private schools, the pressure has become particularly severe, forcing some to move their children to cheaper private institutions or public schools.
Sarah Kemunto, a Nairobi parent with three children, said support from relatives abroad had become critical in keeping her children in school.
“If it wasn’t for my sister in Minnesota (United States), I would be really struggling with fee arreas. I don’t know if I would have managed,” Kemunto said.
The financial pressure comes as public schools themselves continue to grapple with delayed and inadequate government capitation.
President William Ruto announced the release of Sh18.5 billion in third-term capitation for public basic education institutions.
The funds are expected to help schools settle some of their outstanding bills as they enter the final and shortest term of the 2026 academic year.
However, the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA) says the disbursement remains below the annual allocation expected per learner.
Schools budgeted for an annual capitation of Sh22,244 per learner have received only about 72 per cent of the allocation, leaving principals waiting for approximately Sh6,102 per learner.
Free Day Secondary Education accounts for the largest share of the latest release, receiving about Sh10.96 billion.
Education stakeholders, including KESSHA and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), have disputed government claims that the money has fully reached schools, saying institutions continue to face funding gaps.
President Ruto has, however, maintained that the funds were disbursed directly to school accounts and dismissed claims of non-receipt as politically motivated.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has also warned school administrators against imposing unauthorised fees.
The National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa yesterday urged schools to accommodate families struggling to pay, arguing that learners should not bear the consequences of financial difficulties at home.
“Let schools allow parents to commit in writing where possible and allow them to pay in instalments. The children are innocent and they don’t pay fees. We urge school heads not to send home any learner because of fees,” Obuhatsa told the Star on the telephone.
He urged principals to give parents an opportunity to explain their circumstances and negotiate payment arrangements.
“Education in Kenya is not free, it is cost-sharing between government and parents and schools should also understand,” he said.
Obuhatsa also called on Parliament to consider allowing public land, particularly in Nairobi where demand for schools is high, to be used to develop more learning institutions.
“Where space is limited, we can have development of storey buildings,” he said.
The financial burden on families is also reflected in the growing importance of diaspora remittances in financing education.
KNBS data shows that 31.4 per cent of Kenyan households receiving diaspora remittances use the money to pay school fees and meet other education-related expenses.
Education is the second-largest use of diaspora funds after food and household goods, which account for 73.1 per cent. Kenyans received an estimated Sh931.8 billion in remittances between June 2024 and May 2025.
The back-to-school squeeze is unfolding against a broader decline in household purchasing power, with workers facing higher taxes, statutory deductions and, in some cases, salary delays and pay cuts.
Consumer Federation of Kenya secretary-general Stephen Mutoro has called for deliberate measures to restore purchasing power, including relief on essential goods, predictable taxation, stronger price monitoring and consumer protection.
“There must be policies that recognise the lived realities of consumers,” Mutoro said, warning that subdued household spending reflects weakened purchasing power rather than improved affordability.
The education sector received Sh784.5 billion in the 2026-27 financial year, an increase of Sh81.8 billion from the previous year.
But for parents, the challenge remains immediate which is finding enough money to keep their children in school while meeting the rising cost of basic household needs.
