Parents in Embu County are raising alarm over the growing burden of irregular levies in primary and junior secondary schools, charges that are often unaccounted for and reportedly channelled through teachers. The levies, coupled with demands for uniforms, stationery, and equipment, have pushed education costs to unbearable levels despite government assurances of free education.
Although the Ministry of Education has directed that no learner should be sent home over unpaid levies, the practice remains widespread. Parents and grassroots officials admit that enforcement has been lax, allowing schools to continue demanding payments. Secondary schools have been singled out as the worst offenders, with thousands of Form Four graduates unable to access their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) documents due to arrears linked to “motivation” and “remedial” fees.
The withholding of certificates has left many former students stranded, unable to pursue higher education or register for technical examinations. At institutions such as the Jeremiah Nyagah National Polytechnic, learners have been denied entry into grade tests because their secondary school certificates remain locked away. Families say repeated appeals to principals have been ignored, leaving students in despair.
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One case involves a former student of St. Albert the Great Siakago Boys Secondary School whose certificate was withheld over Sh24,000 in remedial fees. Despite partial payment and requests to restructure the balance by our writer, the school refused to release the document. Efforts to seek intervention from the Office of the Ombudsman yielded no results, The Office of the Ombudsman only acknowledge the letter, but after more details were forwarded nothing had been forthcoming, leaving the student unable to register for technical exams and battling depression over his stalled future.
Parents across Manyatta and Mbeere South constituencies report similar experiences. A survey of schools including Itabua, Gatondo, Urban, Karurina, Kangaru DEB, Kanyariri, Kiamuringa, Ndaguma, and Muraru revealed widespread levies, with some learners denied the chance to sit examinations for failing to clear payments. Families say they remain silent out of fear their children could face discrimination if they speak out.
Stakeholders warn that sending learners home over unpaid levies is contributing to absenteeism and truancy, issues rarely addressed by school authorities. Religious leaders, elders, and Nyumba Kumi members acknowledge the problem but argue they lack the mandate to intervene when students are found outside classrooms during learning hours.
County Directors of Education are expected to enforce the ban on irregular levies, but parents claim the officers often work in cohorts with school heads and committees, allowing the practice to persist. While the government has announced that withheld certificates were surrendered to education directors, local officials admit the documents remain in the custody of schools.
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The disconnect between government directives and school practices has left hundreds of students trapped. Despite a national ban on withholding certificates over unpaid levies, many schools continue to defy the order, undermining the promise of free education and jeopardizing the futures of learners who performed well in their examinations.
By Robert Nyagah
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