Principals warned against charging illegal fees, asking parents for bribes

Parents and their children stranded at the North Rift booking offices in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, as schools reopen, on January 6, 2026. [Peter Ochieng, Standard] 

Parents can now report school heads demanding a commitment fee or a bribe to secure a senior school admission, after the Ministry of Education declared such payments unlawful.

This is as parents on Wednesday petitioned senior secondary schools heads in a desperate search for Grade 10 admission slots, amid fresh claims that some principals are demanding illegal “commitment fees”

At Oloolaiser Secondary School, in Kajiado County, parents were asked to pay Sh10,000 to the school’s bank account before an admission letter is issued. At Limuru Girls in Kiambu County, parents were told to leave their students results slip at the gate but only those with 65 points and above. They were later contacted and asked to pay Sh10,000 to secure slots.

A similar fee is charged to parents seeking an admission spot at Butula Boys High School, in Busia County, for which parents were issued a receipt for the payment.

On Wednesday, National Parents Association chairman Silas Obukhasa confirmed widespread demand for commitment fees by principals. He noted that this is disadvantageous to learners from needy backgrounds, relying on scholarships. 

He also faulted parents for seeking slots in multiple schools. “This demand by principals is a safeguard to ensure students will report to that institution and that they will not forego the chance,” said Obuhatsa.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has warned that any school head asking parents for money to secure placement is engaging in an illegality and risks disciplinary action.

“There is no requirement from the Ministry or from anywhere else that parents who are looking for placement or revision of the schools their learners have been placed in should give any sort of commitment fee,” Ogamba told The Standard on Wednesday.

The CS asked parents to report school heads demanding any fees to the investigating officers and the Ministry of Education officials. “Anybody who is asking for commitment fees or any sort of money beforehand from any parent, that is an illegality, and such cases should be reported to our regional offices, county directors of education, or even other investigative agencies so that action can be taken,” the CS said.

Parents are also questioning whether parents who miss out on the admission will get a refund and if the funds will be factored into the fees to be paid when the student reports.

“We have not been told if the money is refundable if the student secures a better slot in a different school. Parents have been moving from school to school and in some cases, they are told to pay the commitment fee as they await the admission letter, so some parents continue searching for another school where they are again told to pay another commitment fee,” a parent told The Standard.

This comes as the Ministry of Education opened the window for the second revision to review the schools they have been placed in and seek transfers to their preferred institutions. The closure of the window comes as secondary school heads report a surge in number of applications.

Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association(Kessha) chairman, Willy Kuria, indicated that the surge is mainly experienced in the C1 (formerly national schools) and C2 (extra-county schools).

Hundreds of applications

“We were allowed to admit up to five percent of the total school capacity, so if a school has a capacity of 500 students you can only okay admission of 25 students but as it stands, schools are getting applications in hundreds,” Kuria said.

However, the short timeline and limited vacancies have heightened anxiety, with parents often turned away at school gates, instructed to leave documents behind, or promised call-backs that may never come. 

Parents and learners say the process remains stressful, especially for those seeking admission to top national schools. Some parents indicated that they may be forced to settle for private schools if they miss out on the senior schools of their choice.

Virginia, a candidate placed in a national school in Kisii said they are hoping to secure a slot in a top girls’ school in Nairobi.

“I applied to Kenya High and State House, but the process was very hard. I’m still waiting and hoping to get feedback next week,” she said.

She expressed concern that delays could force her to report late or abandon her preferred schools altogether. Many parents echoed similar frustrations, saying they have been moving from school to school and education offices in search of clarity, even as time runs out before reporting day.

Florence Atieno, a mother from Siaya, broke down as she narrated her struggle to get a school for her son. Atieno raised concerns over alleged discrimination and unclear criteria during the transfer placement process, claiming that some parents were being asked to pay for a slot.