- Parents in Kisii are protesting the decision by some schools to send learners home days after third-term reopening.
- Enock Okong’o reports that families want principals to allow more time as they struggle to clear outstanding fees.
- Parents warn that prolonged absence exposes learners to lost study time and social risks during the crucial third term.
Two days after the reopening of schools for the third term, parents in Kisii County have expressed great concern over the large number of students who were sent home on Tuesday and Wednesday over uncleared school fee arrears.
Parents who spoke to this writer in Kisii Town, Suneka and Nyakoe said several secondary schools in Kitutu Chache South, Nyaribari Chache and Bonchari sent learners home on the second day after reopening, demanding full payment of second-term arrears and third-term fees.
They appealed to principals to be patient and allow learners to stay in school as parents look for school fees, saying sending them home exposes students, especially girls, to many social risks.
Mr James Makori, a parent at Tabaka Mixed High School, said his Form Three daughter was sent home with a fee balance of Sh18,000 and he is still looking for money after spending a lot during the August holidays.
“We are not refusing to pay fees. We are asking principals to give us at least two weeks. Farming has been poor and business is low. When you send children home after two days, you break their morale,” said Makori.
Mrs Hellen Moraa, a mother of two at St Angela Sengera Girls, said sending girls home is very dangerous.
She said girls who are sent home and stay in trading centres are exposed to sexual exploitation by boda boda riders and businessmen who lure them with small amounts of money.
This, she said, can lead to teenage pregnancies and early marriages. She noted that once a girl gets pregnant while at home over fees, she may struggle to return to school.
A spot check by Education News noted many students in towns and centres including Mogonga, Magena, Ogembo, Tabaka, Sameta and Etago with bags on their backs.
Parents identified some of the affected schools as Sameta Boys, Nyabigena, St Angela Sengera Girls and Sengera Parish.
Concerns over risks facing learners
Parents also said boys who are sent home become idle and risk being drawn into drug abuse and criminal activities in Kisii Town, Suneka and other centres.
Some, they said, could end up smoking bhang and taking alcohol, while others could engage in theft to get money.
Others may be forced into child labour in tea farms, Tabaka soapstone quarries, carving sheds and sand harvesting along River Gucha to raise their own fees, exposing them to injuries and exploitation.
The parents added that sending learners home causes psychological trauma, stigma and stress, particularly when learners are paraded before others and sent away.
Some may develop low self-esteem and emotional distress.
They also face the risk of road accidents while walking long distances home and back to school seeking re-entry, especially along the busy Kisii-Kilgoris and Kisii-Migori highways.
More importantly, they lose valuable study time during the short third term, which is crucial for candidates preparing for national examinations.
Law protects access to public education
The parents’ concerns also raise questions about how public schools should handle outstanding charges.
Section 29 of the Basic Education Act provides that public schools cannot charge tuition fees to Kenyan learners. While other approved charges may be imposed, the law expressly provides that a child should not be refused attendance because those charges have not been paid.
The High Court reaffirmed this principle in a June 2025 judgment, noting that the Basic Education Act protects children’s right to free and compulsory basic education and provides safeguards concerning additional charges in public schools.
The Basic Education Regulations also prohibit public schools from issuing alternative fee structures or increasing approved fees without written authority from the Cabinet Secretary.
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Kisii County Director of Education Philip Chirchir could not be reached to comment on the matter.
Chirchir was still serving as Kisii County Director of Education in July 2026, when he was reported as leading education officials responding to unrest at Nyabisase Mixed Secondary School.
By Enock Okong’o
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