Boarding schools face food crisis as prices soar and sellers demand cash

Some boarding secondary schools across the country face the prospect of closing earlier than usual if there is no let up in the cost of food.

School principals are under pressure to keep students in schools up to the end of the term and feed them on their normal diets without reducing rations at a time when fee balances remain unpaid for the better part of the term, Saturday Nation has learnt.

The latest indication that schools were staring at food crisis was a fortnight ago when most of them extended their mid-term breaks by two days.

“It is turning out to be impossible to effectively run schools as the situation keeps getting worse every day. Some schools might close earlier,” says the principal of Nyabururu National School in Kisii, Mrs EImelda Ochenge.
Due to unpaid arrears to food suppliers, the principals are spending more time in meetings with Parents Teachers

Associations (PTAs) and suppliers who are demanding that schools sign agreements that endorse new prices of commodities.
The schools have to rely on parents who pay boarding fees to buy foodstuff as the free secondary education money does not cater for this extra expenditure.

Interviews with principals across the counties revealed they have been forced to flout some guidelines for the implementation of Free Secondary Education issued in January 2008.

For example, suppliers are supposed to write to schools’ tender committees and request for change of prices in the original contract. “This is not happening. You cannot dilly dally with bureaucracy when stores are empty,” said a Principal in a boys’ school in Nairobi.

It is a balancing act for many as it is clear the food stocks cannot last a month from now.
Between January and June this year, maize prices in Mombasa rose by Sh500 per bag while rice is selling at Sh5,500, up from Sh 3,400. Beans rose from Sh5,500 to Sh8,000 while bread rose from Sh36 to Sh46.

“We feel the heat and we are likely to resort to alternatives which will be discussed with parents very soon,” said Mrs Samba Rasul Mwadzaya, the principal of Mama Ngina Secondary School in Mombasa.

In the North Rift, schools are accepting food commodities as part of fees payment. Mr Daniel Chirchir, the principal of Kitany Boys High School in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, says the school is now accepting vegetables, milk and cereals from parents.

In the mix of the food crisis are suppliers who are exerting pressure on schools to adjust to new prices.

At Sing’ore Girls, suppliers have written to the school over new price changes. The principal, Mrs Rose Chepteng’et, confirmed the challenge and said: “We are not sure when the funds will be in the school accounts yet we are supposed to stick to government set fees guidelines of Sh20,600, irrespective of the biting economic crisis.”

In January, the school, bought sugar at Sh4,000 per bag but it now costs Sh 6,000. “Our electricity bill last month came to Sh74,000, up from an monthly average of Sh30,000 last year,” she said.

Things are no better in parts of Central Province. In Murang’a, suppliers are asking for Sh4,000 for a bag of maize, up from Sh1,600 in January. A bag of beans used to cost Sh4,000 but has now shot to Sh6,000 while maize flour has increased by 100 per cent from Sh2,400 per bag in January.

Shortage of the main staple foods have hit an all time high with the government being forced to throw open the importation of maize.

This week, Treasury allowed any person able to import maize duty free in a public notice by Finance PS Joseph Kinyua.
It was an about turn from an earlier position that only allowed registered millers to ship in duty free maize. However, Treasury insisted that genetically modified maize was not included in this new arrangement.

Kenya needs about 2.3 million tonnes of cereals to fill a biting shortage according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)

Faced with this dilemma, schools have been forced to flout some rules, especially the management of the FPE funds.

According to interviews with principals on condition that their schools are not named, the vote on repair and maintenance and the staff salaries kitty are some of the votes that are partly financing school kitchens. Many principals could not entirely deny the flouting of rules and referred our queries to the District Education Offices saying the issue of food was “too sensitive at the moment”.

The FPE allocation of Sh10,265 per student per year is spread in the three terms with many schools yet to receive the second term disbursement. At Sh3,965, staff salaries get the lion’s share of the allocation.

Yet, many schools have huge salary arrears, a matter that landed on the desk of the Education ministry PS and the director of Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission last April.

The Workers union, Kudheiha, raised a red flag on the diversion of the staff salaries to “other expenses” and asked the commission to investigate.

“Some principals think the non-teaching staff are easier to deal with and instead use money meant for their salaries to fix things in schools,” said Kudheiha secretary general Albert Njeru.

In letters sent to the schools since January and seen by Saturday Nation, the union demanded that schools should not only pay all the arrears but should adjust the figures to conform to the guidelines issued by the Labour minister in May.

“There is no justification why a principal will say he hasn’t paid workers unless the school is yet to receive its disbursement. The government has adequately provided for staff pay,” said Mr Njeru.

This week, the ministry of Education reiterated that action would be taken against schools found to have diverted funds without express authority of the district education boards.

Yesterday, the ministry’s spokesman, Bogita Ongeri, however, said principals had the discretion to discuss the food matter with their BOGs and seek endorsement from parents in an Annual General Meeting.

“We are aware schools are facing tough times but each school’s problem is unique. They must follow the rules and regulations as it is spelt out by the guidelines,” said Mr Ongeri.

Mombasa

In Mombasa, suppliers are fighting to have schools enter into an agreement that will compel them to pay for commodities at “prices of the day”.

Waa Boys Secondary School has already received threats from suppliers that they would stop their supplies unless the letters were issued.

“They are demanding that we agree to sign or we look for alternative suppliers. We have very limited options,” says the principal, Mr Mwafungo Siasa.
The school’s budget on foodstuff shot to Sh2 million and now parents are being urged to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.
“We consume 240 bags of maize, 90 bags of beans and 45 buckets cooking fat per term and 190 loaves of bread per day. We have had to cut on other expenditure,” Mr Siasa said this week.

Between January and June this year, prices changed from Sh1,000 to Sh1,500 for maize, 50 kilos of rice from Sh3,400 to Sh5,500, Sh5,500 to Sh8,000 for beans and cooking fat is now selling for Sh3,300 up from Sh 2,500. Bread cost Sh36 but rose by Sh10 to Sh46.
Within the same period, Mr Siasa confirmed monthly electricity bills rose by 100 per cent up from Sh45, 000.
But the situation was tolerable at Mama Ngina Secondary School. Although the school pays its suppliers three months after delivery, it might be forced to ask suppliers to issue a standard price for commodities.

However, as at now, the principal, Mrs Samba Rasul Mwadzaya, said the food stock will not last up to year end.

“We feel the heat and we are likely to result to alternatives as will be agreed by parents,” said Mrs Rasul.
Early in the year the school bought maize meal at Sh2,800 per bale. Today, it goes for Sh3,800. Beans cost Sh7,800, up from Sh5,500 and cooking fat Sh3,000 up from Sh 2,000. Electricity bill is now Sh92,000.

Central

Food worries aside, St Mary’s Boys Secondary School in Nyeri worries more about skyrocketing fuel bills than anything else. Instead of using a generator as a back-up to the erratic electricity supply, the school has invested in rechargeable lamps.
Staff and students are on strict programme to save on utility costs. Says the principal Peter Kombe.

“We are ensuring there is no wastage on things like water or electricity. Whatever is saved is directed to the kitchen where things are tough.”
Although the school has not considered a cut on rations, the rise of maize cost to Sh4,000 up from Sh2,500 early in the year is quite strenuous.

At St Peters Kandara Boys, repairs and maintenance have taken a backseat as more time is spent working things out with suppliers.

The principal, Thuo Kiigu, sais some food prices had gone up by more than 50 per cent in just six months. “Maize flour is going for Sh4,800 up from Sh2,330 in January for a 90 kilo bag while beans have shot from Sh 1,600 to Sh 4,000. It is the principal to apply local solutions especially with high fees balances,” said Mr Kiigu.

Like Mr Kombe, Mr Kiigu is between a rock and a hard place.

“Second term is not a time to change things. My colleagues are at their wits end. They have to find a way to survive,” says Mr Kiigu.

What has saved the situation at St Mary’s is the support of well wishers and donors, according to Mr Kombe. Many school heads in the province were still consulting parents.

Eldoret

In the North Rift, you do not have to have cash to pay school fees. Parents with fee balances are allowed to bring in foodstuff as any attempt to increase fees is resisted heavily by parents.

Other schools in the region relied on their school farms to supplement food capacity. Learning institutions here have vast lands.

At Kitany Boys High School in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, parents are free to supply the school with vegetables, milk and cereals.

The principal, Mr Daniel Chirchir, says, “The students can’t miss even one meal yet their parents are genuinely broke.”

Schools in arid and semi-arid areas (ASALs) are the most affected due to biting food shortage following a dry spell that saw many of the pastoralists’ livestock die as most families moved from one place to another in search of water and pasture.

Sing’ore Girls’ High School principal Rose Chepteng’et said they were waiting for the government to send funds for the subsidised secondary education to enable them meet some of the emerging financial needs, besides food.

“We are not sure when the funds will be in the school accounts yet we are supposed to stick to government set fees guidelines of Sh 20,600, irrespective of the biting economic crisis,” said the Principal.

In January, the school, bought sugar at Sh 4,000 but it now costs Sh 6,000 .

“Our electricity bill last month came to Sh 74,000 up from an monthly average of Sh 30,000 last year,” she said, adding: “I will be forced to call a special parents meeting to deliberate on the way forward.”

Some suppliers were unwilling to deliver the remaining lot of what they committed themselves to, citing increased production costs, which has affected their profit margins.

“Our bread suppliers have already served us with a notice of intention to adjust their prices upwards effective July 1,” Ms Chepteng’et said.

Her school has no ‘half-term’ breaks on its academic calendar; this could have eased the school’s budget slightly.
But, the principal of Kapsabet Boys High School in Nandi County, Kipchumba Maiyo, said apart from schools in drier areas, many from the region have no reason to say they cannot feed their students.

Besides having large farms, most institutions in the area usually procure adequate stocks of maize and beans for their school, to take them throughout the year immediately after a harvesting season.
They can feed students with ease as they struggle to meet the soaring cost of other essential commodities like stationery and electricity charges.

“During harvest time, prices are very fair. Planning for the whole year has worked well,” said Mr Maiyo.
He revealed that the school has dairy cattle, which come in handy to provide milk. The School relies on its farm for vegetables and some maize.

The school even sells maize to substitute with rice.
Kisii

In an area where an ugali meal is the order of the day, Nyabururu National School’s Principal is a worried woman.
Mrs Elmelda Ochenge says her school consumes 1,000 bags of maize flour every month with a bag of maize going for Sh5,200, up from Sh2,800 last year. Beans have also shot up from Sh4,000 to Sh6,000, according to documents showed to us by the principal.

“Our electricity bill has hit Sh112,000 per month in addition to firewood worth Sh200,000 per term,” says Mrs Ochengo
“If things do not change, we might have to close a bit earlier,” she said.

Another principal, Mr Zachary Nyansikera of St Patrick Kahawa in Borabu district, fears a full term may not be tenable in the prevailing circumstances.

“We have to travel to Narok to buy these foods. From Sh2,400, the school is now buying a bag of maize at Sh5,200. Beans were going for Sh4,800 but now goes for Sh9,600,” says Mr Nyansikera who is also the chairman of Borabu Secondary School Heads Association.

At Ichuni Girls’ High School, the principal, Mrs Joyce Orioki, has suppliers to thank for being patient.

“We are also grappling with the astronomical costs and we owe our suppliers a lot of money. They have been a bit kind to us,” she said.

Salaries for non-teaching staff are normally the last item to be paid in many school’s budgets.

Majority of school are yet to pay their May salaries while some are paying workers in kind — by giving them food commodities.

Workers are estimated to cost schools in Kenya more than Sh700 million a month.

Correspondences between the workers union, Kudheiha, and the ministry of Education shows many schools are yet to adjust to new guidelines on payment issued on Labour Day this year. The minimum wage was set at Sh7,500.

Kudheiha secretary general Albert Njeru accused Education PS Prof James ole Kiyiapi of taking too long to respond to serious cases of delayed salaries and non-compliance with the new salary guidelines.

“We have written to him with specific cases since January as we carry our audit. He seems quite busy outside his office,” said Mr Njeru on Wednesday

Among the schools facing serious salary anomalies are Kimabole Secondary, Milo Friends High, St Anthony Boys, Sirisia, Nginda Girls in Murang’a and Bishop Sulumeti Girls in Bungoma.

Most workers in this category owe their jobs to Principals and therefore it becomes hard to lobby for clearance of arrears.

Reporting by Billy Muiruri, Dennis Odunga, Francis Mwaniki, Kitavi Mutua and Benson Nyangesiba