Inside Parliament's probe into secondary school fees and capitation

Parliament’s scrutiny of the Auditor-General’s report on public secondary schools has exposed inconsistencies in capitation funding, student enrolment figures and the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS).

The National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education has raised concerns over the impact of funding shortfalls on school operations and called for discussions with Ministry of Education officials to address the challenges.

The committee is also exploring whether the secondary school fee structure should be reviewed amid concerns that current capitation is insufficient to meet rising operational costs.

Chaired by Luanda MP Dick Maungu, the committee raised the concerns after the Auditor-General’s report showed that several national schools (C1) had sought additional fees from parents above the approved Sh53,000 annual amount, citing rising costs and inflation.

MPs also questioned disparities between capitation disbursements and the actual number of students in schools, which principals said had contributed to underfunding.

For the first time, administrators of national schools appeared before a parliamentary committee to respond to audit queries, with several saying discrepancies between NEMIS figures and actual school records had affected the amount of capitation they received.

Chief principals from Alliance High School, Alliance Girls, Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls, Limuru Girls, Mang’u High, Kenya High School, Pangani Girls and Kabare Girls, among others, said they had experienced difficulties validating learner data on NEMIS.

They said capitation received by their schools did not cover all students, with principals reporting that they receive less than the Sh22,244 expected per learner annually. The amount, they said, averages about Sh15,000.

During the committee’s examination of Alliance High School’s audit report, the Auditor-General flagged the irregular increase in school fees, including Sh17.6 million collected from parents.

“The school charged fees of Sh68,554 whereas the fees as per the Ministry’s guideline is Sh53,554 and the school thus raised…