Parents are up in arms after reports of principals selling Form One slots for as high as Ksh250,000 per student in order to accept their admission into the schools emerged.
According to a report published by Nation on Sunday, August 8, the school heads seized the opportunity to capitalize on parents' desperate situations to have their children enroll in their schools of choice.
The report indicated that national schools slots are sold at an average range of Ksh100,000 to Ksh250,000, while national schools outside Nairobi ask for Ksh50,000 to Ksh70,000.
Extra county schools have a tag of Ksh50,000 and county schools demand a range of Ksh10,000 to Ksh30,000. For sub-county schools, the price tag could be as low as Ksh5,000.
The parents lobbied various complaints to the National Parents Association (NPA) decrying their plight. The majority argued that they fell victim to the scheme and their children ended up not getting a slot to the school.
"I can't believe I was conned Ksh40,000. My girl is still at home," a parent lamented.
NPA chairman Nicholas Maiyo noted that the scheme had caused a dire situation as Form Ones reported to schools this past week.
He affirmed that they would report the cases to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for disciplinary action to be taken against the school heads responsible.
"We have already received several cases. We shall report them to TSC once our list of evidence is complete," Maiyo stated.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Jwan condemned the misconduct and affirmed that action would be taken against those culpable.
"I wish parents would report to us, to the police, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) or TSC so that such unscrupulous principals can be subjected to disciplinary processes," Jwan stated.
He further urged parents to be vigilant and not to fall prey to such schemes.
The news comes as various parents took to the media to decry their state after their children reported to their placed schools only to find they had been transferred to a different institution without their knowledge.
For instance, Hildah Anatwa, a student who recently received admission into Mugoiri Girls High School, Murang'a County became distraught because her slot had been swapped.
Her mother, Rachel Amogola, lamented about her daughter's situation in a video that went viral on Monday, August 2. Mugoiri Girls later readmitted Anatwa back to the school.
