School principals could be forced to pay back money collected through unapproved charges after MPs raised concerns over additional levies imposed on parents at some of the country’s leading institutions.
The warning came as Parliament continued its scrutiny of financial decisions made by schools, with principals being required to explain why they introduced extra payments without clearance from the Ministry of Education.
For the third straight day, the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education questioned school heads over additional levies, with MPs seeking to establish how the charges were introduced and used.
The committee reminded the principals that schools are expected to obtain permission from the Ministry of Education before asking parents to pay any amount outside the approved charges.
Once authorisation is granted, the Ministry issues a circular providing direction on how the additional levy should be managed.
The committee cautioned that school heads could face surcharges if audits establish that public funds were spent without the necessary approval. This could leave individual principals responsible for money that was collected or spent outside the required procedures.
Among those questioned on Thursday were Kenya High School principal Edith Koech, Mang’u High School principal Benard King’ah, Limuru Girls principal Susan Kariuki and Alliance High School principal David Kamau.
The MPs examined a number of financial issues affecting the schools, including remedial charges, Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) subscriptions, differences in reported student numbers, surplus textbooks and school land that had not been registered.
Koech defended some of the additional charges at Kenya High, saying they came after parents asked the institution to provide particular services for their children.
“There are times when parents themselves ask that we include the charges in our budget. Some are for special meals which if we remove the students can burn the school,” Koech said.
King’ah told the committee that the funds provided by the government were not sufficient to cover the cost of feeding learners and meeting the demands of the Competency-Based Education curriculum.
“As a school, we may not be able to survive the entire year with the Sh53,000,” the Mang’u principal said.
He pointed to enhanced meals for students as one of the needs that required additional resources.
Kariuki also told MPs that parents at Limuru Girls agreed to contribute more after the school found that the government allocation could not cover its expenses.
Despite the agreement by parents, the school had not received authorisation from the Ministry to collect the additional amount.
“The Sh53,000 we receive from the ministry is not enough to service the workforce, diet for the students, pay BOM teachers, water and electricity bills,” Kariuki said.
According to Kariuki, parents met and agreed on the extra contribution before it was endorsed by the school’s Board of Management.
At Alliance High School, Kamau said parents had also suggested making additional contributions to help the institution maintain the standards expected of the school.
The explanations, however, failed to end the MPs’ concerns, particularly over the position of learners whose parents may not have the financial ability to meet the extra demands.
Committee chairman Dick Maungu questioned why principals would allow parents’ requests to result in charges that could put the schools on the wrong side of government rules.
“Why are parents forcing principals to charge extra levies ending up breaking the law?” committee chairman Dick Maungu asked.
The committee also questioned why the additional charges had continued in some schools for years without clear evidence of approval from the Ministry of Education.
The issue has featured in audit reports by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu covering the 2020-21 to 2024-25 financial years.
Limuru Girls High School was found to have charged Sh73,580 annually for each student, despite the approved amount being Sh53,580.
Mang’u High School was also flagged for collecting Sh46,082 per student through its Parent Association Support Programme without the required approval.