How schools use uniforms to rip-off parents

Millicent Awinja makes school uniforms at Uhuru market Nairobi on January 13, 2026. Many parents are forced to buy school uniforms at respective schools during admissions which is a bit expensive as opposed to buying them directly from the shops. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

For thousands of parents, enrolling a child in Grade 10 has turned into a harrowing financial ordeal.

This has been marked by hidden charges, inflated uniform costs, and last-minute demands that go far beyond officially approved school fees.

As the government pushes for 100 per cent transition from junior to senior secondary school, parents say hidden costs, inflated prices, and outright exploitation by some school heads and suppliers are locking children out of education.

Pressure is now mounting on Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to dismantle what education stakeholders describe as entrenched school uniform cartels operating in collusion with some principals and suppliers.

National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa says the uniform crisis is undermining access to education.

“We have complained about being directed where to buy uniforms because just outside the schools, prices are cheaper,” he said.

Parents interviewed paint a picture of desperation, saying they have been forced to sell livestock and even borrow from shylocks, and still fall short of meeting fees and other requirements. 

An analysis by The Standard across several public secondary schools shows that the cost of uniforms ranges from about Sh9,000 in day schools to more than Sh20,000 in boarding schools.

Yet market surveys reveal that the same items could cost half that amount if parents were free to buy them from open markets.

In one national school in Kajiado, parents are required to buy three pairs of trousers at a total cost of Sh2,610 — about Sh870 per trouser.

At Uhuru open market on Jogoo Road, the same trousers retail at about Sh500 to Sh600 each. The same school requires three short-sleeved shirts costing Sh950 each, while similar shirts go for about Sh400 to Sh500 elsewhere.

Admission letters reviewed by The Standard insist that these items be bought “in cash from suppliers selling at the school during the admission period,” raising red flags over collusion.

In Nairobi, a parent was shocked when asked to buy a ball at Sh4,700, paid via banker’s cheque to a specific company, for a school admitting more than 200 Grade 10 students.

“Where will all these balls go?” the parent asked.

In a girls' school in Nairobi, parents were asked to buy underwear at Sh1,000 each, compared to a market price of about Sh100, and to provide six pieces per student.

Another boarding school requires parents to buy “equipment for boarding” at Sh14,750, including cups, plates, bedding and mattresses, and uniforms purchased from a particular supplier at Sh24,250.

In Kiambu, a student who had raised Sh22,000 from well-wishers to report to Grade 10 was forced to spend it all on uniforms sold at the school, then sent back home to look for fees.

“The school was more interested in uniform money than the commitment letter we wrote promising to pay fees later,” said a guardian.

In Kisumu, parents allege that some teachers were selling uniforms within school compounds.

“They claimed they were offering subsidised prices,” said one parent.

Market surveys by The Standard reveal that on average, a shirt costs about Sh300 to Sh450 in open markets, trousers Sh500 to Sh600, pullovers Sh800 to Sh850, socks and neckties about Sh100 to Sh150 and rubber shoes Sh300 to Sh450.

Yet supplier price lists linked to schools show shirts sold at Sh1,250, trousers at Sh1,450, pullovers at Sh1,500, tracksuits at Sh2,750 and fleece jackets at over Sh3,300.

At Oloolaiser High School, the official fees structure indicates Sh25,000 for first term, Sh23,554 for second term and Sh5,000 for third term, totaling Sh53,554 annually. Yet, parents say the reality on the ground is different.

According to an admission letter seen by The Standard, parents are directed to deposit Sh49,500 on the reporting date.

“Note that the Parents Association Fund for construction of the dining hall, ablutions block and a dormitory will be Sh20,000. On top of that, you are required to contribute an extra Sh4,500 per term for development fees,” reads part of the letter.

Parents are instructed to pay the money via a banker’s cheque or cash deposit to a specified school account.

The uniform alone costs Sh18,500, payable to Elim Textiles.

A parent at Shimo la Tewa High School Mombasa, says additional items have caused her a lot of financial pain.

“Uniforms cost rival or even exceed term fees required by the ministry. Items such as metal buckets, branded T-shirts, pyjamas, labelling charges and school IDs push costs even higher, all payable to traders operating within the school,” she said.

At Malava Girls School, parents must buy uniforms exclusively from the institution at Sh7,300, alongside 15 exercise books and bedding.

Nyakach Girls High School and Kisumu Girls require parents to deposit Sh17,000 upon admission.

Many parents say they feel trapped. As one parent lamented, “It is not the fees that break us, it is the other things.”

Lillian Okal decided to shop at Nairobi’s Uhuru Market after discovering that school-recommended uniforms were far beyond her reach.

She said buying uniforms directly from schools or their approved shops was punishing for parents already struggling with high school fees, especially in girls’ schools where uniform requirements are extensive.

“If you compare, you can save between Sh300 and Sh1,000 per item. Buying a full uniform at the school shop can cost between Sh18,000 and Sh20,000, but here in the market it costs about Sh10,000, almost half the price,” Okal said.

Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary-General Akello Misori questions the very logic of rigid uniform policies.

“The uniform policy is outdated. Why do we insist on uniforms when they add no value to learning? But since the ministry prescribes them, the costs follow,” he said.

Education lobby group Haki Elimu Kenya has called for urgent intervention.

“The uniform issue is undermining free day secondary education,” said Haki Elimu director Muthoni Ouko.

Muthoni urged the government to stamp its authority to save parents from the greed of school heads.