In pictures: Schools reopen as parents decry high expenses

Learners peruse through books at a bookshop along Jomo Kenyatta Highway, Kisumu in preparation for back to school on Jan 5, 2025. [Michael Mute, standard].

As schools reopen across the country, the back-to-school rush has exposed the deep strain Kenyan households face, with the high cost of living forcing parents to make difficult choices to keep their children in class.

From crowded bookshops and slow-moving markets to chaotic bus parks, the start of the 2026 academic year paints a picture of resilience mixed with anxiety.