Four in five households affected by school development levies reported that their learners were sent home or threatened with being sent home over the charges, according to a survey by the Elimu Bora Working Group.

The survey covered 388 parents, guardians and grandparents in Baringo, Kakamega, Kiambu, Kisumu, Makueni, Mandera, Meru, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru and Uasin Gishu. Across those counties, the group reported illegal charges in every county, school cluster and school category surveyed.

Development levies were the charge most commonly enforced by sending learners home, according to the report. Among the 32.2 per cent of households affected by those levies, 83.3 per cent said learners were either sent home or threatened with it. Some families reported paying between Sh50,000 and Sh60,000 in development levies.

Remedial tuition and motivation fees affected 49.2 per cent of households. Both categories carried a median charge of Sh5,000.

The survey put the overall share of learners sent home or denied lessons over unpaid extra charges at 45.9 per cent, describing the practice as occurring occasionally or very often.

The burden was heavier among day-school learners, 64.9 per cent of whom were sent home or barred from class over levies, compared with 40.5 per cent in boarding schools. Among day scholars, 60.6 per cent missed school days, 51.1 per cent missed examinations or tests, 48.9 per cent lost motivation to attend and 42.6 per cent reported discrimination over unpaid levies.

Household income also shaped exposure. Learners from households earning less than Sh10,000 a month were sent home at least occasionally in 61.3 per cent of cases, against 23.1 per cent for households earning between Sh30,001 and Sh60,000.

In all, 61.6 per cent of households described the extra levies as difficult or impossible to afford, and nearly 37 per cent said they very often borrowed money or sold assets to meet the costs. More than nine in 10 households had either paid an illegal levy in 2025, expected to pay one in 2026 or expected to pay more than the gazetted fee.

The report described the charges as largely collected verbally. About 51 per cent of schools were said to write to parents, while some threatened parents and learners who failed to pay. The survey documented cases where schools withheld certificates or declined to clear learners, particularly Form 4 candidates, until the charges were settled.

It also stated that such actions can affect learners after secondary school by making it difficult to access higher education and employment.

The group said “illegal levies are a barrier to the right to education, and the government must not allow schools to impose them and then punish children for their parents’ inability to pay.”

The findings sit against the constitutional guarantee of free and compulsory basic education, which bars denying a child lessons, examinations or the chance to complete school because their family cannot pay an illegal levy. The government pays Sh22,000 per student to keep them in school, according to the survey report.

Elimu Bora called on the Ministry of Education to urgently audit school fee structures and act against institutions imposing illegal levies. It also wants full and timely capitation and confidentiality mechanisms for parents who report the charges.