Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba has gazetted a new fee structure for all public senior schools in Kenya, covering learners under both the Competency-Based Education (CBE) and the 8-4-4 systems.
In a Kenya Gazette notice dated January 6, 2026, the CS announced that parents will not pay any fees for students in public Day Senior Schools. Instead, the government will fully cater for the cost by paying Sh22,244 per student.
For public Senior Boarding Schools, parents will pay Sh53,554 per year, while the government will also contribute Sh22,244 per learner in schools that were previously approved to charge up to Sh53,554.
However, for boarding schools that had earlier been approved to charge a maximum of Sh40,535, parents will continue paying the same amount, with no increase.
In Special Needs Schools, parents will pay Sh12,790 per learner, while the government will provide Sh57,974 per student to support specialised education services.
The new fee structure takes effect from January 5, 2026.
According to the CS, schools must spread the fees across the three school terms using a 50:30:20 ratio.
“No public school shall charge tuition fees or any other extra fees or levies outside the approved fee structure,” Ogamba said. He added that schools charging below the approved ceilings are encouraged to maintain their current rates.
Any future changes to the fees, the CS noted, will only be made with approval from the Cabinet Secretary and through a gazette notice.
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