The National Assembly Majority Leader and Kikuyu Member of Parliament (MP), Kimani Ichung’wah, has called out the Ministry of Education (MoE) over school uniform and lunch programmes, saying some institutions have turned them into punitive tools.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Ichung’wah said parents are still being forced to buy uniforms from schools, while some students are being denied access to education for lacking proper attire—contrary to ministry guidelines.
“Your circulars are being ignored. Parents are being punished, and children are suffering at home because they cannot access school due to lack of uniforms. Parents are still being forced to buy uniforms in schools against your guidelines. They are even directed where to purchase them if not within the school,” he said.
He further criticised the commercialisation of schools, noting that vendors set up shops within school premises when Grade 10 students reported.
“When did our schools stop being institutions of learning and become shops for uniforms?” he posed.
Ichung’wah also decried the treatment of students who cannot afford new uniforms, saying they face daily harassment for failing to transition from primary school attire to Junior Secondary School (JSS) uniforms.
“Why is it necessary to change uniforms at JSS? I thought we were making education accessible, in line with Article 43 of the Constitution, to every child in this country, regardless of their financial means,” he said.
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He urged the Ministry to take the matter seriously, warning that laxity undermines access to education.
“The Ministry must treat the issue of school uniforms with the seriousness it deserves. You are being far too casual, and you cannot afford to be casual when it comes to our children’s access to education,” he added.
Ichung’wah also questioned the practice of sending students home for failing to pay for school lunch programmes, despite existing guidelines.
“There are circulars on lunch programmes, but who is enforcing them? MPs cannot be expected to resolve the issue of school meals for every constituent while the Ministry remains lax,” he said.
He further alleged that school feeding programmes have become a hub of corruption within the Ministry of Education.
“The Ministry of Education must rein in these excesses and restore dignity to our learners,” he said.
By Juma Ndigo
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