John Mbadi Clarifies Scrapping of Examination Fees Subsidy Won't Affect All Students
- National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi clarifies that the national examination fees waiver will be retained for students from poor households
- The move by the government to do away with the subsidy sparked reactions from Kenyans, a majority of whom argued parents would be overburdened
- Mbadi seemed to wonder why the government should help a parent paying, say KSh 1 million a year as their children's fee, to settle a KSh 5,000 examination fee
Starting next year, some Kenyan parents will be required to cover their children's national examination fees.
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National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced that the 2025/26 budget would not fully accommodate these costs.
However, the subsidy will remain in place for students from low-income households.
Why government is scrapping examination fees subsidy
Mbadi acknowledged the varying income levels in households across the country, noting that even students from affluent backgrounds had been benefiting from the waiver.
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He stated that a selection process would be established to determine which learners qualify for financial assistance.
The CS emphasised that this initiative is meant to reduce government expenses and redirect funds to crucial sectors of the economy, as the administration works toward minimising reliance on loans.
"We have to review the costs in the sense that we must ask ourselves, why should we pay examination fees for all students? You see, in 2026, Kenya is projected to have approximately 3 million students sitting for their national examinations, around 1.2 million anticipated to sit for KIPSEA, and over 960,000 for KCSE. If your child is learning in a private school where you pay KSh 300,000, KSh 1 million in a year, honestly, can't you pay KSh 5,000 for the examination fee for that child? Why should you force, make Kenyans, taxpayers, some of whom can barely eke a living, to pay an examination fee for your child?" Mbadi posed in an interview with NTV.
Mbadi assured that this year's national examinations are fully covered, as funds for them were allocated in the current financial year.
The move concerned parents, who argued they were not consulted, nor was their input considered in what would have been a public participation setting.
The waiver was initially introduced in 2015 under former President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration, benefiting only students in public schools.
However, in 2017, the programme was expanded to include private school learners as well.
By implementing the new policy, the government aims to recoup funds that would have otherwise been spent on covering examination costs.
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This is akin to the change in the university funding model, which Ruto's administration based on how needy the beneficiaries are.
Why William Ruto came up with new university funding model
Previously, all students enrolled in tertiary institutions were entitled to government funding.
In 2023, the government came up with a model to filter out extremely needy cases and focus more money on them at the expense of those from well-to-do backgrounds.
Students would be segregated in various bands, with those from extremely poor households getting preference from the government.
The model was challenged in court numerous times, the petitioners arguing that it was discriminatory in nature.
Owing to the concerns raised about the model, the president in 2024 constituted a national committee to evaluate the programme.
The committee would look into the issues raised by the public, such as the structure of loans and grants the students should get, and the eligibility in the bands.
The team would then provide recommendations to the president.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
