Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has come under sharp criticism from Members of Parliament over what they termed as lax enforcement of school uniform guidelines, accusing institutions of exploiting parents through inflated costs and punitive practices.
While appearing before National assembly, MPs questioned CS Ogamba why schools continue to defy a presidential directive requiring them to admit learners even without official uniforms. They argued that the absence of a clear and enforceable policy has created loopholes that administrators are using to commercialise uniforms at exorbitant prices.
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, condemned schools for turning uniforms and lunch levies into punitive tools. He said learners are being sent home for failing to meet these requirements, a practice he described as humiliating for children whose parents are struggling financially.
“No child should be humiliated because a parent is struggling. The Ministry of Education must rein in these excesses and restore dignity to our learners and schools,” he said.
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Legislators also took issue with the requirement for learners transitioning from primary school to Junior Secondary School (JSS) to purchase new uniforms, despite junior schools being domiciled within the same institutions.
Ichung’wah urged the ministry to issue clear policy guidelines ahead of the next academic year to prevent unnecessary financial strain on parents. “I want the speaker to direct that he (CS Ogamba) comes with a policy guideline on the question of uniforms so that parents next year know we will not buy uniform for JSS students,” he said.
Ichung’wah warned that school heads who defy ministry circulars, particularly those sending learners home over uniforms or unpaid lunch fees should face sanctions. He called for their names to be tabled in Parliament to compel the Teachers Service Commission to act.
“Don’t tell us we have a list that we have sanctioned. We want to see the list of teachers you are sanctioning so that as a House we take the Teachers Service Commission to account,” he added.
Ichung’wah noted that parents and learners continue to suffer due to non‑compliance by school heads, despite existing directives intended to ease the burden.
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“Parents are still buying uniforms in schools against your guidelines. Parents are still being directed where to go and buy uniforms if they are not being sold in school. When Grade 10 learners were reporting, vendors had already set up shop in schools. When did our schools stop being centres of learning and become shops for uniforms?” he posed.
Ichung’wah cited Article 43 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to education, arguing that strict and commercialised school requirements undermine access and equity. He warned that stringent guidelines on uniforms and lunch programmes risk violating this provision, and called on the ministry to treat the matter with urgency.
By Masaki Enock
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