When Julius Ogamba, the Cabinet Secretary for Education in Kenya, publicly declares that his hands are tied in disciplining errant school principals over illegal fee hikes, it sends a chilling message across the education sector. If the very office entrusted with safeguarding fairness and access cannot act, then who exactly is left to defend parents and learners from exploitation?
At the heart of this issue is not just a bureaucratic bottleneck, it is a crisis of accountability. Education in Kenya has long been positioned as a public good, a pathway to equity and national development. Yet, when school leaders impose unauthorized levies and face no consequences, that promise begins to erode. Parents, many already strained by the rising cost of living, are left vulnerable to arbitrary financial demands that often lack transparency or justification.
The Cabinet Secretary’s claim that political interference limits his ability to act raises more questions than it answers. Who are these political actors shielding wrongdoing? Why are school administrators emboldened enough to defy ministry guidelines? And perhaps most importantly, what does this say about the integrity of governance within the education system?
Recent controversy surrounding Alliance Girls’ High School has brought the issue into sharp focus. However, the case of Alliance Girls is just one in a million. Across national schools, learners rarely pay the exact amount set by the government.
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The fee structure uploaded into the system during Form One or Grade 10 selections often differs significantly from what parents are eventually required to pay. For a long time, parents have been subjected to levies that do not make sense; charges that are neither clearly explained nor officially sanctioned.
This raises a critical concern: why single out one institution while a systemic problem persists across the board? It is inconsistent and frankly unjust for the ministry to appear ready to prosecute the principal of Alliance Girls alone, while similar practices continue unchecked in other top-tier institutions. In many C1 national schools, the total fees paid by parents exceed Ksh 130,000, far above the officially prescribed limits. Such disparities point to a deeply entrenched culture of non-compliance that cannot be addressed through selective enforcement.
Leadership, particularly at the national level, is defined not by comfort but by responsibility. The role of the Education Cabinet Secretary is not ceremonial, it is executive. It carries the authority to enforce policy, ensure compliance, and protect the public interest. To suggest that this authority is compromised without offering concrete steps toward resolution risks normalizing dysfunction. It creates a dangerous precedent where wrongdoing is acknowledged but tolerated.
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For parents, the consequences are immediate and painful. Many are forced into debt, others withdraw their children from school, and some endure the indignity of having their children sent home over unpaid and often questionable fees. This is not just a financial issue; it is a moral one. Education should never become a privilege reserved for those who can afford to navigate systemic irregularities.
Blaming political interference, while it may hold some truth, cannot be the end of the conversation. It must be the beginning of decisive action. If external forces are undermining policy enforcement, then transparency is essential. The public deserves to know where the breakdown occurs and what corrective measures are being implemented.
There is also an urgent need to strengthen regulatory mechanisms. Are fee guidelines clear and enforceable? Do parents have accessible channels to report violations? Are penalties for non-compliance applied consistently? Without addressing these questions, the system will continue to fail those it is meant to serve.
It is high time the government treats this issue with the seriousness it deserves. Piecemeal action and selective accountability will not restore public confidence. What is needed is a comprehensive, transparent, and firm approach that applies equally to all institutions regardless of status or influence.
If the referee refuses to blow the whistle, the game descends into chaos. And in this case, the players are not professionals, they are children whose futures hang in the balance. Kenya cannot afford to gamble with that.
The question remains: if the top authority cannot act, who will? The answer must not be silence. It must be reform, accountability, and leadership that refuses to look the other way.
By Polycap Ateto
Polycap Ateto is a teacher of Chemistry and Mathematics in Dagoretti North sub county
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