BONYO'S BONE: Illegal school levies

Tonight, I take issues once again with the administration of public education in Kenya!

Parents and guardians across the country continue to shoulder the weight of expensive education in public schools—especially in primary and junior secondary schools.

Yet, Article 53 of the Kenyan Constitution is crystal clear: every child has the right to free and compulsory basic education.

This right is further cemented in the Basic Education Act of 2013, which explicitly states that no public school shall charge or compel parents or guardians to pay tuition fees for pupils in public primary schools.

Section 29 (2b) of the same act allows schools to impose additional charges only with the approval of the Cabinet Secretary in consultation with the County Education Board.

And yet, across the country, headteachers continue to illegally levy fees and other charges—unchecked and unchallenged.

Some of these school administrators have turned into opportunistic profiteers, bleeding parents dry under the guise of ‘school development’ and ‘extra learning materials.’

This is an orchestrated cartel-like system that involves sub-county and county education officials—who act as enablers, shielding school heads from scrutiny.

When confronted, they are quick to misquote section 29, conveniently omitting the critical clause that demands official receipts for any levies collected.

So, tonight, let me remind them: The same law they love to quote also warns them. Section 29 (2c) of the Basic Education Act explicitly states: “no person shall collect levies without issuing an official receipt.”

But what happens in reality? Parents are forced to pay unjustified fees with no receipts, no breakdowns, and no accountability.

Every single day, across this country, pupils are being sent home for failing to pay illegal charges—denied their constitutional right to education.

At the same time, parents are being financially drained, often having to borrow money to keep up with these demands.

Yes, public education is in dire need of funding. Yes, schools require resources. But this is not how the solution should be found.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, a trained advocate of the High Court, knows all too well that these practices are unlawful. And yet, under his watch, schools continue to exploit struggling parents.

It is a betrayal of the constitution. It is a betrayal of his oath of office.

Parents are being forced to pay for admission fees, ‘motivational’ funds, remedial lessons, desks and chairs, activity fees—all at the whims of school administrators, with no legal backing.

This must stop. Free primary education cannot just exist on paper. Junior secondary education cannot be a financial nightmare for parents. It is time to end this exploitation.