Parents will henceforth pay examination fees for their children starting next year, following the government’s plan to scrap the exam fees waiver.
According to a report on the Daily Nation, the government will only pay examination fees for students deemed needy.
Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Economic Planning, John Mbadi, said the government will adopt a targeted subsidy model to support learners from low-income households.
However, the CS did not clarify how the needy learners will be identified. He maintained that the State will not fund learners from wealthy families, arguing that parents with children in private schools pay high tuition fee and should therefore afford examination fee.
“If your child is in a private school paying Sh300,000 or even a million in fees, should the government still foot their Sh5,000 exam bill?” posed Mbadi during a press briefing. “It is unfair to burden taxpayers who can barely make ends meet.”
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He clarified that candidates sitting national exams in 2025 will not be affected, as those fees have already been budgeted in the current financial year.
The free exam initiative was introduced by former president Uhuru Kenyatta for public schools in 2015 and extended to private schools in 2017.
It allowed free access to national exams including KCSE, KPSEA, and KJSEA ensuring no student missed exam due to lack of fees.
The new changes are part of president Ruto’s broader cost-cutting measures to reduce reliance on loans.
The National Parents Association chair, Silas Obuhatsa, expressed concern over the move, calling for public participation and warning that some children might be forced out of school due to their inability to pay exam fees.
