A police officer’s daughter passed her Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and secured admission to one of Kenya’s top schools. It should have been a moment of celebration for the family. Instead, her father sat down and calculated the cost.

“I know that school,” he said. “It is a good school. I would love my daughter to go there, but I cannot afford it.”

He had heard about expensive school trips, additional charges after admission, and other costs far beyond the official fees. In the end, the girl did not join the school — not because she failed, but because her family could not keep up financially.

That story reflects a growing concern in Kenya’s public education system.

Recent controversies surrounding fee structures in some national schools have exposed the widening gap between official government fee guidelines and the actual cost parents are sometimes required to pay. Media reports showed that some schools were charging parents more than the approved public-school fees through additional levies and activities.

For wealthier families, these extra costs may appear manageable. But for many ordinary Kenyans — including police officers, teachers, nurses, and small-scale traders — they create a silent barrier that locks deserving students out of opportunities they earned through merit.

The debate is not really about chapati, school trips, or extracurricular activities. It is about access.

Who gets to attend Kenya’s best public schools?

Public Schools getting privatized 

When public schools become too expensive for average Kenyan families, they slowly begin to resemble private institutions, despite being funded by taxpayers and meant to serve all citizens equally.

Supporters of higher fees argue that schools need more resources to maintain quality education, improve infrastructure, and provide a better student experience. That conversation is important and necessary. However, any adjustments to public school fees should happen transparently, through proper government processes and public accountability — not through unofficial or unchecked charges.

The issue also raises important questions as Kenya continues implementing the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which promises inclusivity and equal opportunity for all learners. Education reforms aimed at nurturing every child’s potential cannot succeed if financial barriers continue preventing qualified students from accessing quality schools.

Many families affected by these costs never make headlines. They simply withdraw quietly after realizing they cannot afford the hidden costs associated with “public” education.

That silence should concern the country.

Kenya’s public schools were created to expand opportunity, not narrow it. Merit should open the door — and financial barriers should not be the reason deserving students are left behind.

This piece was written by Mchungwani Rashid, Research Officer, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), and Davis Muli Musyoki, Communication Officer, APHRC.

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