The government has warned parents against being pressured by school principals to buy uniforms from specific shops, describing such practices as contrary to official guidelines.
Speaking on Tuesday during Citizen TV’s Elimu Mashinani live panel, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said complaints from parents over rising school costs are real. He noted that the concern is not with uniforms themselves but with some heads of schools insisting on particular outlets.
“The challenge is that some principals are flouting the regulations put down…that you must allow the parents to source, for example, uniforms from the free market. Don’t direct them to specific shops or people where they are supposed to buy those uniforms because that is not a government policy. What we cannot be able to stop is the fact that you need to have uniforms,” Ogamba explained.
The CS acknowledged that while reports of forced uniform purchases exist, enforcement has been difficult because there is no hard evidence against the schools involved.
“We are aware that the parents say that they are forced to buy uniforms from specific shops, but we don’t have documented evidence so that we can take action against school principals,” he said.
Ogamba called on all stakeholders to play a part in ensuring regulations are followed. He encouraged parents to report violations to education officers in their counties to enable timely action.
“Where you find this being done, as a parent, please report that to our field officers so that we can take action,” he said. “All of us must take a stand because we know regulations have been put out there, but we do not have hard evidence that we can act on.”
During the panel, parents said some school heads were directing them to buy uniforms and other school items from selected shops, which charged higher prices than the general market, raising concerns over exploitation.
