Gov’t scraps school categories as senior secondary fees set at KSh 53,000

The Ministry of Education has announced a sweeping overhaul of fee structures for senior secondary (Grade 10‑12) schools across the country. Under new guidelines effective from January 2026, all public boarding senior schools will charge a uniform annual fee of KSh 53,000.
The policy shift also includes scrapping the previous categorisation of schools by infrastructure and location — formerly national, extra‑county, county and day schools — which had determined differing fee levels. Going forward, senior schools will simply be classified as public or private, and as boarding, day or hybrid.
Under the reform, schools must publish detailed fee schedules at the start of each term — listing tuition, boarding, meals and other levies — and any additional charges must receive prior written approval from the Education Cabinet Secretary. Official payment channels and clear timelines for fee collection are mandated.
Officials say the standardisation is intended to promote transparency and equity across the senior school system, ensuring all learners face the same baseline costs regardless of school category or region. However, questions remain about how the uniform fee will align with varying cost structures at schools with significantly different facilities.
Parents and stakeholders are being advised to prepare for the new fee regime as they select schools under the new senior secondary system