Some of the country's most prestigious national schools have been put on the spot over illegal levies, with a new Elimu Bora Working Group survey revealing widespread unauthorised charges in public schools.
According to the report, Thika High School leads in Central Kenya, Maseno School tops in Nyanza, while Kenya High School is ranked highest in Nairobi in reported cases of illegal charges.
The findings have triggered fresh scrutiny in Parliament, where principals of national schools have been questioned over extra levies imposed on parents without approval from the Ministry of Education.
The Elimu Bora survey, which covered 370 primary and junior secondary schools countrywide, found that more than 90 per cent of institutions charged admission fees ranging between Sh500 and Sh25,000, despite the Basic Education Act prohibiting such fees in public schools.
The lobby further established that 89 per cent of schools charged parents for remedial lessons, while 80 per cent of Junior Secondary Schools levied examination fees. Parents were also forced to pay for desks, lockers and other items that should be catered for under free basic education.
In Parliament, Kenya High School was flagged for collecting an additional Sh25,000 per learner through a parents' association support programme without ministerial approval.
Maseno School was also questioned over payments channelled to the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (KESSHA), with the school defending the levies as support for co-curricular activities including sports, drama and music competitions.
Lawmakers on the National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education have warned that school heads could be held personally liable for unauthorised expenditure flagged in Auditor-General reports.
Elimu Bora is now calling for stricter enforcement of fee guidelines and stronger oversight by the Ministry of Education to protect learners from exclusion due to illegal charges, even as schools cite inadequate capitation and rising operational costs.
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