Costly back-to-school demands leave parents scrambling

Parents queue to buy books at Rescue Bookshop in Mombasa, on January 3, 2026. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

With just a day to the January 5 reopening of schools, parents are out and about preparing for the back-to-school run just a few days after the Christmas and New Year festivities.

The annual back-to-school rush is in full swing but, this year, it comes with louder complaints, tighter budgets and growing frustration from households.

Catherine Atieno, a mother of a Form Three student, says buying new commodities remains a luxury.

Atieno further notes that the tension between need and affordability continues to define this back-to-school season.

“I am looking for basic commodities on my shopping list on the streets to cut on cost. New ones are out of reach to many of us parents. Any saving helps,” she said.

Her story is similar to Mary Njoki, a parent to a Grade 8 student, who is worried about inflation, tariffs and rising living costs.

Njoki observes that this has pushed her to look for discounts and cutting back on non-essentials.

“I got old text books from my neighbour whose son is moving to the next class. With uniforms, I have bought some from Uhuru Market, which are relatively cheaper,” said Njoki.

National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa has urged the government to direct school heads to tolerate parents struggling with fees and not send learners home as schools reopen.

Mr Obuhatsa called for a firm circular from the Ministry of Education, warning principals against sending students away over fees.

“We are calling on the government to send a stern circular to all senior school heads never, at any given time, to send learners home from school for any single given reason,” Obuhatsa said.

“The government has released capitation to schools. Let school principals discuss with parents on how they can settle fees,” he said.

Obuhatsa noted that many parents are strained by the high cost of school requirements, which eats into money meant for fees.

“Parents are trying their best. But with limited resources, many may not meet the required school fees,” Obuhatsa said.

He warned that sending learners home exposes them to danger amid rising road accidents.

“These are very young children. We want to secure all senior school students,” he said.

Obuhatsa, however, has urged parents to continue supporting their children by paying fees on time and providing essential requirements despite the tough economic times.

For many families, the two-month December holiday has stretched their pockets down.

Between festive travel, food, clothes, church contributions and keeping children entertained, parents say their finances are stretched to the limit.

Jane Wanjiru, a mother of three in Nairobi, said the cost of uniforms, textbooks, stationery and school bags is another hard and fresh blow to them.

Socks are not cheap

“This has to be the hardest back-to-school season I can remember. We spent heavily during the holidays because children were home every day. Now schools are reopening and everything is expensive. Even socks are not cheap,” she said.

Parents complain that prices of key items have risen steadily while some textbooks remain unavailable despite early shopping.

Others say they started buying items as early as November but are still missing crucial books.

“I started early so that I don’t suffer during admission. But up to now, two textbooks are missing. Every shop I go to tells me they are out of stock or still waiting for supplies,” said Peter Mwangi, a father of a Grade 10 student in Kiambu.

Booksellers acknowledge the shortages, blaming frequent syllabus changes, delayed school booklists and the cost of holding unsold stock in previous years.

James Ouma, the proprietor of Joy bookshop, noted that last year’s lack of a Form One intake left many traders with millions of shillings tied up in dead stock.

“The syllabus has changed several times. Last year and the year before, we made losses because books didn’t move. Now the cost has gone up, and unfortunately we have to pass some of that cost to the consumer,” he said.

At the same time, retailers say sales are not as strong as expected. With the high cost of living biting hard, parents are increasingly opting for second-hand textbooks, recycled uniforms and cheaper, unbranded bags.

Seline Mweu, a uniform trader in the city centre said this cautious spending is a sharp contrast to the visible foot traffic in shops.

 “People are buying, yes, but they are buying cautiously. Many parents come, ask for prices, then decide to go look for second-hand items. Some only buy one uniform instead of two,”  Mweu said.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba recently announced that government capitation for senior schools remains unchanged at Sh22,244 per learner and that funds for Term One, amounting to Sh44.2 billion, have already been disbursed.

While the announcement offered some reassurance, it has done little to ease the immediate pressure of shopping.

“Capitation helps schools run, but parents still have to buy books, uniforms, shoes and boxes. That is where the pain is,” said Onesmus Makau, a parent from Machakos.

Leonard Mukaya, a retailer with Joyleen, is urging parents not to wait until the last minute, saying early shopping is critical to avoid disappointment.

“Historically, we try to stock most book requirements. But as good as we think we are, we make mistakes. When you wait until the last minute, you find we are short,” Mr Mukaya says.

Mukaya acknowledged that shipping and production costs have pushed some prices up but said most items had remained “relatively the same,” with discounts offered to ease the burden.

Similar advice comes from booksellers. At Choristers Bookstore, deputy general manager Mary Chebet said demand for textbooks is rising fast, with some titles already sold out.

“I would advise parents to get items as soon as they can. Some schools are not supplying full requirements, and some books are running low. As we get closer to reopening, more items will run out,” he said.

Chebet added that delays in issuing school booklists have made early shopping difficult for parents, forcing bookstores to step up guidance and recommendations.