Revised fees framework to address parent concerns ahead of 2026 senior school transition

The MoE has announced that it is working on a new fee structure for senior schools, in preparation for the cohort of Grade 9 learners moving into senior school in January 2026.
Under the draft structure:
The categorisation of schools as national , extra‑county , county , and sub‑county will be abolished. All public senior schools will be re-registered under new broad types: public vs private, and boarding vs day (or hybrid).
A uniform annual boarding fee of KSh 53,000+ (e.g., KSh 53,554 for public boarding senior schools) has been flagged in the guidelinesThe intention of the revision is to promote equity and transparency, ensuring that learners in different parts of the country pay fees on a standard basis rather than huge regional/infrastructure‑based differentials.
The MoE has also required schools to:
Provide detailed fee breakdowns (tuition, boarding, meals, activity etc) at the start of each term.Seek written approval from the Cabinet Secretary (via County Education Board) for any additional levies beyond the standard fee.
Use official payment channels and issue receipts.
What is still uncertain / concerns
While the KSh 53,000+ uniform boarding fee is flagged in guidelines, the MoE/CS have also stated that no revision has yet been approved for current fees, and existing fee levels remain in force for now.
This means there is a gap between the proposed/forthcoming framework and what is currently implemented, which may confuse parents about what exactly they should expect.
Some parents and school heads have proposed fee levels higher than what MoE is signalling — for example, one proposal by principals suggested ~KSh 73,182 annually for national schools under a new model.
The framework will vary depending on school pathways (STEM, Arts, Sports) and clusters, so there may still be a differentiated cost structure beyond just boarding vs day .Implementation and timing: how quickly the new structure will be applied, whether it will apply to all senior schools immediately in January 2026, and how transition is managed for current students/parents