A new report by the Auditor General has revealed that several secondary schools nationwide have been cited for unlawfully charging parents additional fees and acquiring school uniforms without the required approval from the Ministry of Education.
According to Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, a review of audit reports uncovered a disturbing pattern of non-compliance, including cases where parents were compelled to pay up to Sh1.2 million for school-initiated projects.
Others were required to pay between Ksh100,000 and Ksh300,000, far above the limits set by government policy.
The report for the year ended 30 June,2024 further established that many schools submitted inaccurate student data to the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), affecting funding allocations.
Schools cited in the audit include Loreto Girls’ High, Starehe Boys Centre, Shimo la Tewa High School, St Josephine Bakhita Masinga, Thika High School, Jomo Kenyatta Boys High, Mama Ngina Girls Secondary, Nakuru Girls’ High, St Anne’s Secondary in Lioki and Bura Girls High in Taita Taveta County.
The revelations come days after Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro raised alarm that the Education Ministry had issued a circular to day-school principals proposing a reduction in government capitation from Ksh22,000 to Ksh12,000 per student annually.
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“I have been receiving calls from principals that the ministry has sent them a circular… wanting to reduce the capitation allocation for the day schools. This is totally unacceptable,” Nyoro said, vowing to push for reversal of the move.
At Loreto Kiambu Girls’ High School, auditors found that management charged students unapproved additional fees amounting to Sh1,296,741 per learner for various school projects contrary to a 16 June 2021 government circular restricting parental contributions to only uniforms, boarding expenses, and day-scholars’ lunch.
“At the time of the audit, management was in breach of the law,” the report states.
At Starehe Boys Centre, auditors noted that parents were charged between Ksh140,000 and Ksh300,000 depending on financial ability, despite guidelines requiring Category A boarding schools to charge Ksh67,244 unless authorised otherwise by the Education Cabinet Secretary. The report also questioned the accuracy of charitable support records, noting discrepancies amounting to Ksh2,784,558.
Additionally, Starehe was found to have spent Sh8.3 million on uniforms, shoes and bedding from a single supplier contrary to the Basic Education Act, which bars schools from dictating where parents must buy uniforms.
Concerns were also raised over inconsistent student data at Thika High School, where NEMIS recorded 1,728 learners, while the County Director of Education listed 2,044 a variance of 316 students. This resulted in underfunding amounting to Ksh2.6 million and contravened policy requiring all learners to be accurately captured on NEMIS.
The Auditor General’s report underscores persistent governance failures in public secondary schools, pointing to widespread issues of transparency, financial mismanagement and disregard for Ministry of Education directives at a time when parents and school heads are already grappling with funding uncertainties.
By Our Reporter
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