Why running a school in Kenya is a nightmare

Running a school in Kenya today has become nothing short of a nightmare for most principals. Parents, learners, and the government expect institutions to provide quality education, yet the resources to sustain that dream are insufficient.

For many principals, the story is the same. Many Form Four students stop paying fees in Form Three, leaving principals to sustain them despite not meeting their end of the bargain.

Behind those smiles, however, lies the silent torment of school administrators struggling to keep institutions alive in the face of mounting debts, unpaid fees, and shrinking government support.

Their challenges begin as early as admission. Schools are flooded with more learners than they can accommodate during transition, stretching infrastructure and resources beyond breaking point.

Candidates then register for exams, sit their papers, and walk away leaving behind millions of shillings in unpaid fees.

Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) chairperson Willy Kuria summed up the situation: “If a school has 2,000 students, and each student’s capitation falls short by Sh7,000 annually, that’s a deficit of Sh14 million every year. Add the unpaid fees, and schools are bankrupt. Suppliers don’t stop demanding payment, and many principals are facing court cases.”

The government’s policy that schools must not send learners home for fees has only cornered administrators further. Similarly, the directive to release exam certificates regardless of arrears has stripped schools of their last leverage.

“We allow students to sit exams on humanitarian grounds, but once results are out, the government compels us to release certificates. Parents don’t honour their word, and schools lose,” Kuria said.

The financial strain has cascading effects. Board of Management (BOM) teachers and support staff are laid off, science laboratories ration chemicals, and vital infrastructure projects grind to a halt.

“We nurture learners with everything we can, even when the system is bleeding. At times, we don’t even have enough laboratory chemicals for science lessons,” said a principal from Kiambu County.

For boarding schools, the situation is more stressful. Julius Muraya of Thika High revealed that 50 students left last year with Sh1.9 million in arrears.

“Food bills pile up, suppliers withdraw services, and the dignity of teachers is tested. We are literally holding the system together with prayer. But prayer doesn’t pay electricity bills, feed students, or clear supplier debts,” Muraya lamented.

At Teremi High, Form Four candidates alone owe Sh12 million with other classes owing Sh12 million.

Chief Principal John Wakwabubi said unless urgent reforms are made, the country risks a collapse of schools.

Malava Boys High School is choking under Sh18.4 million in arrears.

Nationally, principals estimate schools are weighed down by Sh90 billion in unpaid fees on top of Sh72 billion in unremitted government capitation.

Yet, the daily cost of running schools keeps rising. Kuria estimates it takes Sh378 per day to keep one learner in a national school, Sh358 in an extra-county school, and Sh110 in a day school. The amounts parents pay coupled with government allocations fall far short of these figures.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi recently confirmed that past arrears in capitation will not be settled since the budget is cash-based; a devastating blow to schools already drowning.

The ripple effects are visible everywhere. Ofafa Jericho alone is owed Sh16 million. 

For principals, the weight is both professional and personal. They juggle compassion for struggling parents with the harsh reality of unpaid bills, often playing the roles of debt collectors, negotiators, and defendants in court.

And in the silence of their offices, principals remain the unsung heroes of resilience carrying a nation’s dream on shoulders bent by debt.

As the crisis deepens, school heads insist that either parents or the government must play their roles promptly. “To run our institutions smoothly, we need school fees and capitation,” Kuria emphasised.

Principals are also faced with pressure from the communities to deliver results while the government wants the administrators to deliver the curriculum successfully.

“If nothing is done, the quality of education will continue to sink,” warned Kuria.