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Sadaka joins hidden levies schools demand to learners

Despite efforts by the ministry of Education to ensure schools do not charge extra levies, several schools across the country are still imposing unauthorised charges on parents.

Complaints from aggrieved parents, guardians, and other stakeholders in the education sector indicate that most public school heads are still imposing extra charges especially admission fees, purchase of desks and buses, lunch money, and other unnamed expenses.

And now, learners in some Catholic schools are parting with offering money  on opening day,

A spot check by The Informer Media Group two weeks after schools opened for term one of 2025 established that some school heads forced parents to pay the extra fees before the students could be allowed into school with some being sent back home.

In Lugari in Kakamega County, parents and guardians at Holy Family Musembe School raised complaints about their kids’ pocket money being taken by the boarding master at the gate as offering money.

The parents said their kids were being asked to take Sh300 from their pocket money and pay for the whole term’s offering.

A seemingly angry parent said this was the second time during the school opening day that his kids were being asked for extra money from their pocket money.

“This has happened two times now and I have not heard parents complaining about it. How do you force students to pay for offerings using the little pocket money I have given them? We have the boarding master in this WhatsApp group, why does he not call parents or share with us here?” Rajab Abubakar stated, adding that the students were currently asking to be changed from the school.

“How does a school forces students to pay offering? I thought tithes and offerings are paid according to how God has blessed you. Some students may not be of that faith, so why force them to pay?” another parent, who gave her name as Eucabeth, lamented.

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The parents stated that it was during the opening day that they were hearing about offering money for the first time.

“I was called yesterday when my child got to school and told that we needed to pay offering money. That was the first time I heard of it,” Edmond Inzai said.

According to the parents, it would be better if communications on any amount were communicated earlier for them to prepare enough before schools open.

They also stated that it is better when such levies are charged, the school heads agree with parents first before requesting the money.

Investigations by The Informer Media Group reveal that the said school has been asking for money but cannot be accounted for.

A teacher, who spoke to the Informer Media Group on condition of anonymity, stated that the culture of parents being asked for money and it being pocketed by few individuals in the school has been the order of the day.

He revealed that even the academic support money that is paid as support for the remedial lessons offered to students is never given to them.

The teacher stated that they receive it for two weeks and the weeks after they are told there is no money.

“These are what we call scams in our school. The trend has been here for quite some time. You wake up and hear that students are being asked to pay money only for it to go into the pockets of some of my colleagues.” He stated.

He told The Informer Media Group that the section of teachers who question such behaviors are labeled as rebels.

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“We question students being asked to pay for levies not officiated by the Ministry of Education and we are labeled as rebels. Sometimes it goes to the extent of the student whose parent raised queries being secluded or hated by the section of teachers,” he told the Informer.

The Informer Media Group is informed that after more parents raised queries on why they were being forced to pay the extra levy, the boarding master decided to disband the group without notice.

“We saw a parent ask if the teachers in the group have seen the CS directing school administrators not to charge more levies. As other parents were still reacting to the statement, the boarding master started removing us from the group and disbanded it,” the source told The Informer Media Group.

Parents at the Maseno School also raised concerns about a fee item being introduced last minute before opening.

A fee structure seen by the Informer Media Group indicated an addition of Sh15, 000 labeled as ‘MOE-requested development fees’.

“Parents are struggling with this economy and a school principal decides to add more fees for parents. Please help us, this is not fair,” a Maseno School parent lamented.

In Mang’u, parents are forced to pay almost double the amount directed by the Ministry of Education for National Schools.

A check on their fee structure for 2025 indicates that Form Three students need to get a new pair of uniforms at a cost of Sh11,200 and pay another S500 for University registration.

“Just check how high Mang’u is charging us Ksh 90,000 when the ministry has directed Ksh 53,000 for National schools,” a parent told the Informer Media Group on Condition of anonymity.

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Our investigations further revealed that even though some parents feel the pinch of the extra levies, a category of parents not affected by the economy or not strict about MOE directives say as long as their children pass, they’ll pay whatever the amount they are requested.

Holy Family Musembe Deputy Principal Cosmas Tendwa told our sources that on the Ksh 300 collected from the learners as offering money, they’ll be sharing a small portion with the kids for every two masses they attend each week.

“We shall be giving the kids a portion of the money each week for the Wednesday and Sunday Masses that they attend,” Tendwa said.

However, our investigations indicate that the kids have not received any of the offerings since they started attending mass since resumption of learning on January 6.

This comes as last year the Ministry of Education instructed sub-sounty education directors to visit schools in their jurisdiction and check whether students were being sent home due to unauthorized levies.

During the release of the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education(KCSE) examination results, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba issued a stern warning that action shall be taken against public school administrators found levying extra charges on parents.

“The Ministry of Education has noted, with great concern, a disturbing situation where some senior schools are returning to the banned practice of charging levies. I wish to put it on the record 15 that the government will not condone the practice, and will take stern action against school administrators who are found to be levying extra charges on parents,” he said.

Ogamba emphasised that the fees charged in secondary schools for 2025 remain the same as were in 2024.

 

 

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