(MOMBASA, KENYA) – Parents in Kenya could soon face sharply higher costs for public secondary education. School principals have presented a formal proposal to the government calling for a significant rise in school fees, stating that the current funding model is no longer workable.
The Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) put forward the new fee structure during its annual conference in Mombasa. The document was handed to the Principal Secretary for Basic Education, John Ololtua. The principals argue that the existing fees, set in 2015, have been overtaken by rising prices and the increasing cost of living.
Under the proposals, fees for different school categories would rise considerably. For national schools, classed as Cluster 1, parents would pay KSh87,781 per year. This figure is reached after subtracting the government grant of KSh22,244 per student from the estimated total annual cost of KSh110,025. At current exchange rates, this proposed annual fee is approximately 584 US Dollars, with the total cost per student estimated at 732 US Dollars.
For extra county schools, in Clusters 2 and 3, the proposed annual fee is KSh83,622. The actual cost of educating one learner in these schools is put at KSh105,866. This translates to a parental contribution of roughly 556 US Dollars per year, based on a total cost of 704 US Dollars. Even day schools, which in principle charge no fees under the Free Day Secondary Education programme, would see a new charge of KSh7,675 per year, about 51 US Dollars, against a projected annual cost per learner of KSh29,919.
The school heads say their institutions are struggling with huge unpaid bills to suppliers and salaries for non teaching staff. They attribute this to the government’s failure to pay the full Free Day Secondary Education capitation. KESSHA calculates that the government did not pay schools a total of KSh22.5 billion in 2025 alone, an amount equal to roughly 150 million US Dollars.
KESSHA chairman Willie Kuria stated that the fees set 11 years ago no longer reflect reality. He pointed to the national budget, which has grown 115 percent from KSh2.246 trillion in the 2015/2016 financial year to KSh4.82 trillion in 2026/2027. Mr Kuria used the cost of a ream of photocopy paper as an example, noting its price has risen more than 90 percent from KSh420 to about KSh800 over the same period.
Food is the biggest expense for boarding schools. It now costs about KSh242 per day to feed one learner, covering three meals. The principals propose a unit cost formula to calculate fees, based on the actual daily cost of tuition, accommodation, meals, materials and operations.
Another pressure is the cost of the new Competency Based Education system. Schools now offer more technical subjects like aviation, media technology and building and construction. These require special facilities and equipment, which many schools lack.
The principals also raised the problem of insufficient and late government grants. The capitation rate has remained at KSh22,244 per learner since 2018. Mr Kuria said schools had received only 56 percent of the expected 80 percent of funds at this point in the academic calendar. Furthermore, while the government provides building grants, no money is given for furniture or equipment to make new classrooms and laboratories functional.
PS Ololtua told the principals the government would look again at the financing problems facing schools, while noting that budget limits restrict the Ministry of Education. The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers also faulted the government over delayed funding. The union’s Deputy Secretary General, Moses Nthurima, said it was becoming difficult to track how much money was being sent due to constant changes in the rules.
Unless fees are reviewed or government funding is increased, the principals warn that schools will continue to struggle to meet their obligations, maintain standards and carry out education reforms.