Govt Makes U-Turn on Parents Paying KCSE Exam Fees

The government has announced that it has allocated funds for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and other national exams, which were not initially budgeted for, following public outrage after the waiver was phased out.

During a town hall meeting on Monday, June 9, 2025, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi assured Kenyans that the government would cover the cost of national exams for all students this year, stating that the Treasury has made the necessary funds available.

“Initially, we did not provide for examination fees this year, but we have now made the money available. I assure all Kenyan students that they will sit for their exams. The government will pay for it; we are just restructuring the system,” Mbadi stated.

Additionally, the Treasury CS mentioned that the Cabinet had raised concerns about the high costs of administering exams, specifically questioning why exam materials are printed overseas.

Govt Reinstates KCSE Examination Fees Waiver

He assured that the government is working on creating a more cost-effective framework for conducting national assessments, which will lead to significant reductions in expenses.

“What happened was that, as a Cabinet, we were dissatisfied with the amount of money being spent on exams. We didn’t understand why examinations were printed outside the country, while more sensitive documents, like passports, are printed here,” Mbadi remarked.

Also Read: No KCSE This Year? Ministry of Education Fumbles to Explain Why There is No Exam Budget

Initially, Mbadi explained that the decision to eliminate the national examination fees waiver, which was introduced in 2015 by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, was based on fiscal responsibility and fairness due to unsustainable costs amid rising student enrollment and a Ksh91.8 billion education sector deficit.

About the Waiver on National Examination Fees

He argued that the government should not subsidize exam fees for all students, particularly those from affluent families or private schools that charge high tuition fees, ranging from Ksh300,000 to Ksh1 million annually, who can afford the Ksh5,000 to Ksh7,200 exam fees.

Mbadi emphasized that from 2026, a targeted subsidy model will be implemented to support only needy students, with the Ministry of Education developing criteria to identify eligible learners.

Also Read: Mbadi Clarifies Why Budget for National Exams Was Removed

The examination fee waiver was introduced by then-President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2015 for students in public schools in Kenya. It covered national examinations such as the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

The policy aimed to ensure that no student missed out on these critical exams due to financial constraints, thereby supporting the government’s 100 percent school transition policy. In 2017, the waiver was extended to include students in private schools.

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