NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25 – Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has appealed to President William Ruto to reverse the government’s recent decision to reintroduce examination fees for learners sitting national exams.
Khalwale, who spoke in his Kakamega backyard, called the move “a major setback” for education access among underprivileged children.
“We are saddened that the government has suspended the free education policy and incorporated examination fees for students sitting for their national examinations,” said Senator Khalwale.
“Don’t go there,” he added, urging the President to reconsider what he termed a regressive policy shift.
He warned that reinstating exam fees would only worsen the situation, even as he also took issue with the recently implemented university funding model, which categorizes students into three financial bands based on their parents’ income.
He argued that the model is discriminatory and has already led to increased dropout rates across universities in Kenya.
According to the Kakamega senator, education in the country is in a crisis and risks discriminating against the majority of Kenyan learners.
He fingered the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) that he says has already strained the education system, especially for poor households.
“We are in a bad place already, and because of the CBC, the children of poor people have dropped out of school.”
His remarks come amid mounting public concern over the rising cost of education in Kenya, with many stakeholders calling for reforms that prioritize inclusivity and equal opportunity.
This, even as the government justifies its decision to bring a halt to the waiver.
Earlier, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi asserted that the move is necessary, stating that it has become unsustainable on account of rising costs in the education sector.
The program was introduced by then Education CS Fred Matiangi in in 2016 for all candidates sitting the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams in public schools.
This initiative aimed to eliminate financial barriers and ensure that no student missed their final examinations due to inability to pay registration fees.
