Kajiado parent appeals for help after school fees lock Grade 10 daughter out of school

A parent from Nkaimurunya Ward in Kajiado North Sub-county has appealed for financial assistance after her daughter failed to report to senior secondary school due to lack of school fees.

Phylis Wanjiku, a mother of three, said her 15-year-old daughter, Monica Gathoni, has remained at home despite securing admission to Moi Girls School, Isinya, after scoring 55 points in the Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA).

Wanjiku explained that the annual school fees at Moi Girls Isinya amount to about Ksh55,000, a sum she has been unable to raise due to financial constraints.

The mother, who survives on casual manual work, including washing clothes for residents, and has so far only managed to buy school shoes for her daughter.

She said she was advised to obtain an admission number to enable her to apply for bursaries from the ward and the Kajiado North National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), but the lack of immediate funding to get the document has left her with no option but to appeal to well-wishers for support.

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In a bid to keep her daughter in school, Wanjiku visited several day secondary schools in the area, but encountered similar challenges. She noted that parents are still required to pay at least half of the admission fees, buy school uniforms, and meet meal costs before students can be enrolled.

The situation persists despite earlier assurances from the Ministry of Education that students should be allowed to report to school even without full fees or all required items, with parents permitted to pay later. A presidential directive had also stated that students could report using uniforms from their former primary schools to ease the financial burden on struggling families.

Wanjiku has now appealed to government agencies, education stakeholders, and members of the public to support her daughter so that she does not miss the opportunity to continue her education.

By Obegi Malack