Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced that the government will gazette a new school fees framework for senior schools, as the Ministry of Education moves to clear up confusion and enforce compliance under the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.
Responding to questions from Members of Parliament during the 2026 Legislative Retreat in Naivasha on Wednesday, January 28, CS Ogamba said the Gazette Notice will be published on Friday this week.
According to him, the notice has already been prepared and will consolidate fees across different categories of public secondary and senior schools.
“As I said, we will be gazetting the school fees this Friday, the Gazette notice has already been prepared. The Gazette notice combines everything, including the day-secondary schools, so that Gazette notice is coming out.”
CS Ogamba grilled
The announcement followed a heated moment, with questions from members, including National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, who sharply criticised what he described as a systemic failure in the supervision of schools.
Ichung’wah had accused education officials of allowing the abuse of programs such as uniforms, lunch schemes, and infrastructure procurement.
“Uniform and lunch programs… that is a bedrock of corruption in your schools,” Ichung’wah said, arguing that inconsistent charges and weak oversight have created loopholes that burden parents and undermine accountability.
The Kikuyu MP also faulted the Ministry and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for staffing imbalances, citing cases in which small schools have disproportionately high numbers of teachers while neighbouring institutions remain understaffed. He warned that political convenience must not override rational planning in education.
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In response, Ogamba said the Ministry is pursuing amendments to the Basic Education Act to strengthen enforcement and hold officers accountable for failing to implement approved policies.
“We are also doing the amendment to the Basic Education Act, which is coming to you, and our suggestion is that we criminalize failure by the officers to enforce their policies and regulations of the ministry,” Ogamba told MPs.
The CS further addressed concerns over infrastructure readiness under CBE, particularly the transition of learners into senior school. He said the issue of Grade 9 classroom shortages has been resolved following a nationwide assessment.
“An assessment was done, and the classrooms for grade 9 that were required were 23,000, and that has been done,” he said, adding that the transition to Grade 10 is already underway. An exit report will guide decisions on remaining infrastructure gaps and the use of available space.
Senior School fees structure
The planned gazettement comes amid persistent public confusion and claims of increased school fees, which the Ministry of Education has repeatedly dismissed as false.
In a press statement dated December 31, 2025, the Ministry categorically stated that there has been no increase in school fees for public secondary or senior schools, terming claims of a Ksh9,374 fee hike as “false and misleading.”
Also Read: Govt to Announce New School Fees
The Ministry clarified that Kenya Gazette Notice No. 1555 of 2015 initially required parents in day secondary schools to contribute Ksh9,374 per learner, with the government topping up Ksh12,870.
However, following the full implementation of Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE), the government increased its capitation to Ksh22,244 per learner per year and removed tuition costs for parents altogether.
Under the current framework, CS Ogamba at the time said learners in public day secondary schools and C4 day senior schools pay zero fees, while boarding fees remain capped. Boarding schools in major urban centres charge up to Ksh53,554; other boarding schools, up to Ksh40,535; and special needs schools, Ksh12,790—rates that the Ministry said have not changed.
The Ministry also stressed that the transition from the former National and County school categories to C1–C4 clusters is structural and does not introduce new fees, warning that any school charging unauthorised levies will face disciplinary action.
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