The government has announced a standard annual fee of Ksh53,000 for all boarding senior secondary schools in the country, a shift away from the previous school-to-school model.
This is according to a guideline issued by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday, November 4, with the new regulation expected to take shape from January 2026.
The new guidelines have scrapped the categorisation of schools based on infrastructure and location, factors that were previously used to determine the amount of fees charged by an institution.
The new guidelines outline how learning, teaching and administrative functions will be carried out from January next year. They also reveal how fees will be collected in senior secondary schools.
As per the new regulations, schools that seek to charge additional levies must submit a written request to the Ministry of Education for prior approval.
With all secondary schools expected to be re-registered as senior schools and classified on the same level, the schools will be categorised as either public or private, boarding, day, or hybrid schools.
According to the Ministry of Education, all institutions are required to issue fee structures to every student at the start of each term, clearly outlining tuition, boarding, and meals amounts.
Similarly, schools will be required to announce official fee collection channels, with institutions required to make advanced announcements to parents regarding fee collection dates.
Grade ten learners are expected to take seven subjects, including core subjects of English, Kiswahili, mathematics and community service learning, with three more subjects from the chosen pathway.
In the new guidelines, learners will be required to have eight lessons each day, with each session expected to last about 40 minutes and at least 40 lessons per week.
The government also went ahead to address the safety of learners with boarding schools instructed never to send unaccompanied students from school after 9 am.
The government also announced plans to implement stringent measures on how schools spend funds, with schools expected to establish audit committees.
