Sack Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi over high fees, President Uhuru Kenyatta told

Parents want action to be taken against Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi and his Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang for failing to adhere to the recommendations by the task force on secondary school fees.

Kenya National Association of Parents (KNAP) dismissed the circular issued last Thursday and signed by Prof Kaimenyi, terming it a scheme to mislead parents of over 2.1 million secondary school students.

Parents instead want the Education CS to issue the official government fees structures in the spirit of implementing the recommendations of the task force as directed by the President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Fees guidelines

KNAP Secretary General Musau Ndunda rubbished the directive by Kaimenyi to secondary school heads to maintain the 2013 fees structures.

Ndunda said no fees guidelines were issued last year therefore no action could be taken against school heads who flout the directive by cabinet secretary.

He said the Government should move with speed to address the rising cost of fees before schools reopen in two weeks’ time instead of issuing circulars that are ambiguous.

“The last fees structure guidelines were issued in 2008 and that is why schools are charging exorbitantly since they do not have a structured fees guide. As parents, we are not interested in government circulars that are not addressing the issue of school fees. How can you send a circular on instructions of public secondary school fees for 2015 without any figures?” he posed.

Bold move

The association has threatened to go to court if the new school fees structure for secondary schools is not implemented.

Ndunda said both Kaimenyi and Belio have failed in their mandate to address the issue of school fees and should therefore vacate office.

“They have left public schools in this country to be privatised by allowing each school to charge fees the way they feel like, with some national schools charging as much as over Sh100,000 per year. If the Government cannot take a bold move to regulate schools fees, then we are left in the hands of mercenaries,” he said.

In the circular, the Education ministry noted that it was in the process of carrying out consultations with stakeholders to ensure realisation of the task force recommendations.

KNAP has since written to the President Uhuru Kenyatta to reassign or sack both Kaimenyi and Belio for failing to implement the right to free and compulsory basic education by not controlling fees charged in public schools.