High fees and fares shock for parents

Parents on Sunday woke up to news of higher school fees and book prices ahead of schools re-opening on Monday.

Students reporting at Kisumu Girls’ High School and Maranda Boys High School had to pay higher fees than the previous year since the schools were elevated to national schools. (Read: State disburses Sh750m for schools upgrade)

At Kisumu Girls’, the students were required to report on Sunday with an annual fee of Sh58,000 up from last year’s Sh38,000.

According to school principal Mary Akunja the increased fee was due to the new status of the school.

“The fee has generally increased countrywide because of inflation. The fee rates in all secondary schools has gone up by slightly above Sh10,000,” she added.

Sh48,000

Mr Joseph Rambo, a parent whose child learns at Ambira High School in Siaya County, said the fee had risen annually to Sh48,000 from Sh32,000 the previous year.

“I have no option but to search for the money so that my son can attend school,” Mr Rambo said.

Parents also had to contend with the increased bus fares as public service vehicles took advantage of the back-to-school rush.

Students travelling to Maseno from Kisumu were charged Sh200 instead of the normal Sh100.

Generally, bus fares increased with an average of Sh100 per destination, with the matatu operators saying it was their time to make profit.

Street book vendors, bookshops and school uniform retailers recorded booming businesses and stayed open on Sunday to satisfy the demand.

In Nairobi, bookshops were teeming with parents and their children. At the Text Book Centre, a parent Gilbert Mutuku, said his daughter, Sharlene Mutuku and a cousin Mbithe Muema needed books for Standard Eight studies starting Monday.

“She is joining Eight and we are here to pick the books she will need to prepare for her KCPE,” he said.

Another parent, Lucy Maina said the prices of books had slightly gone up but she did not have a choice but to get them for her child Roselynn Maina in Standard Five at Loreto Convent Msongari Primary School.

“I have to get them for her,” Mrs Maina said at the TBC shop in Kijiabe Street in Nairobi.

Across town, Gikomba Market was also busy with travellers buying classroom materials before embarking on their journey.

Ms Rebecca Mutua bought pencils, pens and writing books for her children who were to travel later in the day to Pioneer Academy in Mwingi North constituency. She said the materials were far much cheaper than at bookshops.

On Sunday, Education minister Mutula Kilonzo was asked to crack the whip on headteachers who arbitrary increase school fees. (Read: Mutula warns principals against increasing fees)

Many parents interviewed said the minister was fond of issuing warnings without taking action against heads who have kept on exploiting them by not adhering to the Ministry of Education fee guidelines.

“We are helpless as we have no option other than pay exaggerated fees as per the structures issued to our children before closing schools for December holiday,” a parent in Nyamira District said.

He said the Sh10,265 fee subsidy given to each secondary school student was an income to headteachers since they kept charging levies above the recommended maximum fees.

Reported by Jeremiah Kiplang’at, Lillian Ochieng and Henry Nyarora